North Region

The region shares about 320 km of border with Nigeria, 400 km with Chad and 20 km with the Central African Republic.

Four divisions and 21 subdivisions make up the region. Average density is 43 inhabitants per km², ranging from 11 in Faro to 165 in Mayo-Louti.

The Regional Council has been operating since December 2020; the region has one city council, Garoua, and 21 councils.

Maize output grew by about 34% between 2015 and 2018, and rice output almost doubled between 2014 and 2018.

The regional development plan (PRD) describes agriculture as the North’s main economic activity. Cotton, maize and rice dominate, alongside groundnuts, cowpeas, onions and garlic in trade.

Average annual farm income rose from CFAF 382,621 in 2014 to CFAF 505,752 in 2018, an increase of about 32%. Farms range from 0.2 to 50 hectares.

Investment needs cover irrigation, mechanisation, seeds, storage, processing, agro-logistics and the integration of the cotton, cereal, rice and groundnut value chains.

The region’s herds are valued at about CFAF 40 billion; nearly 40% of households keep at least one type of livestock.

In 2019 the region had 13,859 cattle farmers, including 12,950 medium-sized and 909 large breeders. Bénoué division alone has 7,265 medium-sized breeders, 2,943 sheep farmers and 2,227 poultry farmers, notably around Bibémi.

The value chain runs from holding pens, water points and vaccination yards to markets and abattoirs. A cattle carcass weighs on average from 150 kg for young bulls and heifers to 300 kg for the higher grades.

Food processing accounts for 41% of the region’s industrial sector.

Most industrial plants are located in Garoua, with further units in Ngong, Bibémi, Guider and Tcholliré. Manufacturing SMEs provided nearly 50,000 jobs at the end of 2018.

In 2017 only 16.6% of the region’s households had access to electricity.

The Lagdo dam on the Bénoué is the region’s main hydropower facility: its capacity, 72 MW in 1984, had fallen to under 20 MW at the time of the assessment. The PRD also mentions a hybrid solar-thermal plant in Guider.

The plan identifies energy as one of the three drivers of structural change in the regional economy, together with agro-industry and infrastructure.

Protected areas cover about 45% of the region, or 30,692 km².

The region has three major national parks — Bénoué, Faro and Bouba Ndjidda — complemented by 32 hunting zones. Sport hunting accounted for 60% of the region’s tourists over five years; it generates on average CFAF 469 million in wildlife revenue and about 5,000 jobs a year.

The PRD lists 123 licensed accommodation providers, from one to three stars, and highlights a mix of wildlife viewing, hunting tourism, cultural heritage and archaeological tourism.

The region’s trade is split between imports (50%), exports (47%) and transit (3%).

The region exports onions, cowpeas, groundnuts, maize, garlic, cattle and goats to Cameroon’s main cities, Nigeria, Chad and the CAR. It serves as an outlet for Chad and the Central African Republic.

The road network totals 7,987 km, about 3 km of road per 1,000 inhabitants; seven main routes link Garoua to the principal regional centres.

The population grows by about 52,000 a year, or nearly 9,400 additional households to house.

The PRD describes a training and research ecosystem, a structured health-care offer and strong demand for housing, more than 90% of which is built by private individuals.