- Cameroon expects oil and gas activity to fall 24.6% in 2027.
- The government attributes the decline to lower crude oil and natural gas production.
- Officials expect the sector to recover from 2028 as new oil and gas fields begin production.
Cameroon expects its oil and gas sector to contract sharply in 2027 before new upstream projects are expected to revive production in the following years.
According to the 2027-2029 Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programming Document (DPEB) prepared by the Ministry of Finance ahead of Parliament’s budget orientation debate, oil and gas activity is projected to decline 24.6% next year. The government says the downturn will result from lower crude oil and, in particular, natural gas production.
The projected decline comes as Cameroon prepares to lose its only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility. The Hilli Episeyo floating LNG vessel, which enabled the country to join the ranks of LNG exporters in 2018, is scheduled to leave Cameroonian waters in July 2026 after eight years of operation off the coast of Kribi.
The vessel’s departure will end a partnership involving Norwegian operator Golar LNG, state-owned National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), and French oil producer Perenco, which jointly developed the Sanaga South and Ebome gas fields. The Hilli Episeyo’s annual LNG production capacity increased from 1.2 million tons to 1.4 million tons in 2022.
Recovery depends on new projects
Despite the projected decline in 2027, the government expects activity to recover by 14.9% in 2028 and 18.1% in 2029, driven by the start of production at new oil and gas fields. The outlook suggests authorities are counting on new developments to offset the gradual depletion of mature producing fields.
In August 2025, SNH launched an international call for expressions of interest covering nine exploration and production blocks in the Rio del Rey and Douala/Kribi-Campo basins.
In April 2026, the state-owned company announced that five blocks had been awarded for production-sharing contract negotiations. Octavia Energy Corporation Limited secured the Bolongo block in the Rio del Rey Basin, while Murphy West Africa Ltd. was selected for the Etinde Exploration, Tilapia, Elombo, and Ntem blocks in the Douala/Kribi-Campo Basin.
Recovery is not guaranteed
The government’s recovery forecast remains contingent on several milestones. The newly awarded blocks are still in the contract negotiation phase. Before production can begin, the agreements must be finalized, investment commitments secured, development work completed, and production brought online within the government’s projected timetable. As a result, the anticipated rebound from 2028 remains a projection rather than a certainty.
The government’s timeline nevertheless provides a clear indication of when it expects Cameroon’s oil and gas sector to begin recovering after years of declining output and the departure of the Hilli Episeyo. Whether that recovery materializes will depend on the successful development of the country’s next generation of oil and gas projects.
BRM (Business in Cameroon)
