• ECCAS
• OHADA

Cameroon Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG)

• Overall Governance score: 42.9 (/100)
• Rank: 39th (out of 54 countries)

Estimated at approximately 29.32 million people in 2024, the total population of Cameroon has risen by around 20.51 million people since 1980.

The size of the informal sector in Cameroon was equivalent to 23.4% of GDP, representing about US$10 million in 2019, which was lower than the average of 29.2% for lower middle-income African countries.

The size of the informal sector is expected to decline to 20.8% (US$27 billion) by 2043 — a 2.6 percentage point decline over the 24-year period.

The expected decline in informality over the period will also lead to a reduction in the number of workers in the informal sector.

Cameroon has been a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 1960.

The country participates in the Decent Work Country Programme.

Cameroon’s worker rights are protected by both national labour law and international human rights standards.

The legal framework includes:

• Constitution (Act No. 96/06 of 18 January 1996 revising the Constitution of 2 June 1972, amended and supplemented by Act No. 2008/001 of 14 April 2008)
• Labour Code (Act No. 92-007 of 14 August 1992)
• Various international treaties ratified by Cameroon, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights

See sector-specific regulation below.

• Joint Order No. 035/METPS/MINEFI of 12 July 2002 setting out the terms and conditions for the implementation of Act No. 2001-017 of 18 December 2001 restructuring the procedures for the collection of social security contributions.

• Employers of domestic workers must submit a quarterly declaration to the Tax Office no later than the fifteenth day of the month following the quarter concerned. (Art. 6(4))

• Social security contributions due by employers of domestic workers and housemaids must be paid within the first 15 days of the month following the quarter to which they relate. (Art. 10)

• Decree No. 90-198 of 3 August 1990 determining the rates and basis of contributions due to the National Social Security Fund.

• Contributions for workers covered by the general scheme, including domestic workers, are 7% of wages. (Art. 1(1)(a))

• Decree No. 74-26 of 11 January 1974 concerning the organisation of social welfare.

• Employers of domestic workers may submit a quarterly declaration to the National Social Security Fund within the first twenty days following the relevant calendar quarter. (Art. 24(2))

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• Ministerial Order regulating Itinerant Trade (Commerce Ambulant), 1991.

• Act No. 2015/018 of 21 December 2015 governing trading activities in Cameroon.

• Applies to all traders, including street traders.

• Defines non-sedentary trade as “trading activity carried out on a street or from a mobile stall.” (Art. 4)

• Decree No. 93/720/PM of 22 November 1993 implementing Act No. 90/031 governing trading activities in Cameroon.

• Provides regulatory rules regarding hygiene, safety and tax compliance.

• Traders are classified into three groups, including Group III consisting of street traders, hawkers, buyam-sellam traders and petty restaurant operators. (Art. 4©)

• Municipalities must designate areas reserved for street traders and hawkers. (Art. 19(2))

• Municipal by-laws may establish pedestrian trading zones for street vendors and hawkers. (Art. 19(3))

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• Decree No. 2012/2809/PM of 26 September 2012 establishing the conditions for the sorting, collection, storage, transport, recycling and disposal of waste.

• Waste collectors, carriers and destroyers must provide information to sworn inspectors of the competent administrations. (Art. 30(2))

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Cameroonian labour law doesn't have specific legislation for remote work, but general principles apply. Employees working remotely are subject to the same obligations as those working in the office, though these may be adapted. Implementation often involves providing company-owned equipment for remote work, and employees must adhere to a remote working schedule.

• Labour Code (Act No. 92-007 of 14 August 1992)

• When work is carried out at a location other than the contractor's workshops, stores, or construction sites, the contractor will be responsible for paying the wages owed to workers in the event of the subcontractor's insolvency. (Art. 49(2))

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• Decree No. 2014-2377/PM of 13 August 2014 establishing the conditions and modalities for the coverage of voluntary insured at old age, disability, and survivors' pension insurance scheme.

• The National Social Security Fund offers voluntary insurance to the self-employed (Art. 2)

• Act No. 77-11 of 13 July 1977 concerning compensation and prevention of occupational accidents and diseases.

• Self-employed persons may voluntarily join the occupational injury and disease scheme. (Arts. 5, 8 and 10)

• Act No. 84/007 of 4 July 1984 amending Act No. 69/LF/18 of 10 November 1969 establishing an old-age, invalidity, and death insurance scheme.

• Self-employed persons may voluntarily join a pension insurance scheme providing for old-age, invalidity, and death benefits. In this case, they must pay the entire contribution. (Art. 3(1))

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• In Cameroon, farm work is subject to the general labour laws, including regulations on working hours and minimum wage. The standard work week in Cameroon is 40 hours, but in agriculture, it can extend to 48 hours per week or 2400 hours per year. Art. 80(2) of Labour Code (Act No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992) provides that in all agricultural or similar businesses, working hours are based on 2,400 hours per year, with a maximum limit of forty-eight (48) hours per week.

• Minimum wage is currently set at FCFA 43,969 per month. (see Decree No. 2024/0168/PM of 23 February 2024 setting the guaranteed minimum interprofessional wage (SMIG) for civil servants governed by the Labour Code).

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• In Cameroon, artisanal mining is primarily regulated by Act No.2023/014 of 19 December 2023 relating to the Mining Code.

• The carrying out of artisanal mining activities is reserved exclusively for individuals of Cameroonian nationality. It is subject to the obtaining of an individual artisanal miner's card and an artisanal mining permit. (Art. 20 (1) of the Mining Code).

• The terms and conditions for issuing and renewing the individual artisanal miner's card and the artisanal mining permit are set by regulation. (Art. 20 (2) of the Mining Code).

• Decree No 2024/05062/PM of 18 November 2024 to lay down the terms and conditions for conducting mining operations.

• The conduct of artisanal mining activities shall be subject to obtaining an individual artisanal mining card and an artisanal mining licence. (Art 3)

• The application for an individual artisanal miner's card shall be submitted to the Mayor and deposited at the Council where the mining activity is taking place. (Art. 4)

• The individual artisanal miner's card shall be issued by the Mayor of the locality where the mining activity in taking place, for a two-year period, and shall be renewable for the same period. (Art. 6 (1))

• Decree No. 2024/05249/PM of 19 November 2024 to specify certain obligations attached to the exercise mining and quarry rights.

• All holders of mining titles, licences and permits, except for artisanal miners, domestic and artisanal quarry operators as well as their subcontractors, shall subscribe to insurance policies for the conduct of their activities, the coverage and amount of which shall be in accordance with the insurance law and regulations in force, international standards and generally accepted practices in the mining industry. (Art. 22(1))

• Without prejudice to legal and regulatory provisions in force regarding insurance, insurance policies referred to in Article 22 above, shall cover at least the following risks:
  • for semi-mechanised artisanal mining:
    • injuries, losses and damages suffered by third parties when carrying out activities;
    • damages to the environment caused within the contractual perimeter as a result of semi-mechanised artisanal mining activities;
    • the civil lability of the holder of the title, licence or permit for injuries or damages suffered by the personnel and authorised agents mandated and acting within the framework of administrative supervision and technical controls of these activities. (Art. 23)

• Decree No. 2024/05061/PM of 18 November 2024 setting out the procedures for issuing mining titles, permits and authorisations.

• Applications for the granting or renewal of an industrial quarrying permit or a semi-mechanised artisanal exploitation permit for mineral products shall be submitted to the relevant Departmental Delegation of the Ministry in charge of mines. (Art. 12(1))

• Applications for the granting or renewal of authorisations for the artisanal exploitation of mineral products or the artisanal exploitation of quarry products shall be submitted to the Municipality with territorial jurisdiction. (Art. 12(2))

• Decree No. 2024/05253/PM of 19 November 2024 laying down the methods of quarrying.

• Authorisation to operate a small-scale quarry shall be granted, within a predetermined area, to individuals of Cameroonian nationality and shall confer on the holder the right to establish themselves, extract products from the quarries, remove them and make use of them. (Art. 16)

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Self-employed taxi drivers are subject to laws regulating business licensing, taxation and vehicle standards.

Drivers may operate:

• independently
• or under a vehicle owner or transport business

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Cross-border informal trade in Cameroon operates within the broader regulatory framework governing external trade, customs and taxation.

The sector is particularly linked to trade within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC).

• Act No. 2016/004 of 18 April 2016 governing external trade in Cameroon.

Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) remains a significant but often unrecorded component of regional trade.

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