E-commerce in Cameroon

E-commerce

Internet access

Internet access has been rapidly increasing in Cameroon. Over the last five years, the number of users more than doubled, making Cameroon one of the top three African countries with the highest growth in internet access. In 2017, 23.2% of the population was connected to the internet. In 2017, 16.9% of households in the country had a computer, and 21.7%  had Internet access at home. Fixed broadband subscriptions are virtually nonexistent, given that there were 0.1 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. That number is much higher when it comes to mobile broadband subscriptions (17.7 per 100 inhabitants). There are occasional signal blocks in the country's Anglophone regions, which has resulted in protests against political and economic discrimination from the majority French-speaking government.

E-commerce market

E-commerce in Cameroon is growing at an exponential pace, and even though it is still behind other African countries like Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, it is expected to catch up with other nations. There are no official figures on e-commerce revenues. The market has grown nearly tenfold in the past three years, and it has also benefited from the growth of internet penetration rate - particularly among those using mobile devices to access the internet - which inevitably led to a significant increase of transactions. E-commerce faces two main challenges in Cameroon. The first one is logistics, given that there isn’t a fixed address system in the country, which complicates the delivery process. The other one is payment, as the population tends not to disclose their credit card information online, and given that there's a very low bank account penetration rate in the country, cash remains the preferred payment method. The limited local banking systems hinder small businesses in Africa from expanding their trade beyond national borders. However, Cameroon is expected to boost e-commerce with a new Commonwealth strategy. The assistance from the Commonwealth aims to harness its digital competencies and to grow its participation in the digital trade in Africa. Most online shoppers in Cameroon are between 25 and 34 years old, and men (61%) shop online more than women. Some of the most popular e-commerce websites in Cameroon include jumia.cm, kaymu.cm, lamudi.cm, cdiscount.cm, and lazoto.com.cm.