Cameroon’s Readiness on Compliance with the EUDR

Cameroon Advances Toward EUDR Compliance with Inclusive Digital Solutions

On July 15, 2025, Cameroon reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable and inclusive trade at the high-level forum “Cameroon’s Readiness on Compliance with the EUDR,” co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade and the Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Council (CICC). The event gathered senior officials including the Minister of Trade Mr. Luc Magloire MBARGA ATANGANA, the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Family, and the Minister of Forestry, alongside international partners such as the EU Delegation to Cameroon, the German Ambassy, GIZ, FAO, EFI, and major cocoa exporters.

The forum marked an important milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to align its cocoa and coffee sectors with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), set to come into effect in 2026. As Cameroon exports approximately 80% of its cocoa to the EU, EUDR compliance is critical for market access and rural livelihoods.

GeoShare: An Innovation for Inclusive Traceability

One of the forum’s highlights was the presentation of GeoShare, CICC’s new digital platform designed to support traceability for EUDR compliance. The tool enables large exporters to pool their farm-level geolocation data, which verified small exporters can consult to demonstrate the legal and deforestation-free origin of their products.

This innovation was hailed as a breakthrough in public-private cooperation.

GeoShare is more than a database—it is a bridge between actors of different capacities. It shows that traceability can be a shared good, not a competitive barrier.

Sylvestre Essono Messanga, Director of Operations at CICC

The platform is built on geodata voluntarily shared by six major cocoa exporters under an agreement signed in 2024. With most cocoa farms already mapped, GeoShare allows fast, anonymous verification of supply chains and ensures that smaller market actors are not sidelined.

Mapping and Farmer Engagement

Cameroon’s readiness for the EUDR is built on years of groundwork. Over 90% of cocoa-growing areas affiliated to the CICC are already georeferenced. As of late 2024, around 260,000 metric tons—roughly 80% of national output—already meet traceability requirements.

Beyond digital tools, Cameroon has invested in people. Nationwide training and awareness campaigns led by CICC and partners such as the Support for the European Union’s flagship initiative on sustainable cocoa in Cameroon (SCP) have reached thousands of smallholder farmers. Producers are being trained on sustainable agricultural practices, legal compliance, and traceability—ensuring that even those in remote rural areas can participate in regulated value chains.

EFI and the GIZ project SAFE, participating in the forum as a two TEI Flagship initiatives on deforestation-free supply chains, highlighted the importance of such inclusive approaches on the panel discussion and during their speeches. Their contributions reflect the broader shift toward regional collaboration and transparency as key pillars for responsible trade.

Looking Ahead

The forum illustrated a strong convergence of government leadership, private sector investment, and international cooperation. Together, they are transforming EUDR compliance from a risk into an opportunity for Cameroon’s cocoa and coffee sectors.

The forum’s key message was clear: through innovation, cooperation, and digital solidarity, Cameroon is building a supply chain where no one is left behind.

Region:

Luwero, Nakaseke, Kassanda, Mubende, Bukomansimbi, Kyotera, Omoro, and Nwoya

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, traders, state and non state actors, and processors

Key activities:

Capacity building of smallholder coffee farmers in production practices and sustainable land use management.
Establishing traceability system and facilitating access to sustainable financing
Facilitate inclusive business partnerships between producer organizations and supply chain actors
Promote multi-stakeholder cooperation

Commodities:

Region:

Huánuco, Ucayali, Pasco and Junín

Target group:

Public and private stakeholders, especially exporting companies, cooperatives and smallholder producers

Key activities:

Strengthen the supply chains to meet EUDR requirements
Facilitate access to sustainable finance and knowledge exchange
Training of smallholders to sustainable manage their production systems

Commodities:

Region:

Ngozi and Kayanza

Target group:

Smallholders

Key activities:

Training on the use of traceability tools and support on collection of geolocation data for EUDR compliance
Support the development of a national coffee sector dashboard for traceability and transparency
Capacity building of smallholder coffee farmers in production practices and sustainable land use management.

Commodities:

Region:

Centre, South West, Littoral, South, East and West regions

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, women, youth, and indigenous peoples

Key activities:

Develop inclusive business partnerships with the private sector
Facilitate access to finance for sustainable business models
Support and train farmers in open-source traceability systems
Promote multistakeholder dialogues to improve legal and regulatory provisions

Commodities:

Region:

(Lower) Kafue Catchment Ecosystem

Target group:

Farmers and community forest management groups

Key activities:

Support community forest management groups in the
sustainable management of natural resources and livelihood creation
Support farmers to produce soy in line with the EUDR and increase productivity, and implement transparency and traceability pilots

Commodities:

Region:

Lampung, West Kalimantan, and Central Sulawesi

Target group:

Smallholder farmers, private sector, and civil society organizations along the value chains

Key activities:

Empowering Smallholder Farmers and Farmer Organizations by facilitating traceability and legality, building capacity on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), and strengthening farmer organizations, ensuring inclusive support for both men and women farmers.
Promoting sustainable practices and collaboration by supporting village HCV/HCS conservation efforts, testing and strengthening the National Dashboard for traceability and legality, and fostering national and regional exchanges.

Commodities:

Region:

Son La, Gia Lai

Target group:

Smallholder farmers and marginalized groups

Key activities:

Support coffee value chain actors
Foster deforestation-free, sustainable, and legal supply chains

Commodities:

Region:

Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, Salonga National Park North, Salonga National Park South, Virunga National Park, Kahuzi-Biéga National Park

Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-free Value Chains

Cameroon’s Readiness on Compliance with the EUDR

Cameroon Advances Toward EUDR Compliance with Inclusive Digital Solutions

GeoShare: An Innovation for Inclusive Traceability

Mapping and Farmer Engagement

Looking Ahead

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Region:

Target group:

Key activities:

Commodities:

Global activities