The Cameroonian Ministry of Finance is preparing to roll out an application to track petroleum product imports, according to a statement from the Directorate General of the Budget published on 29 October. A four-day workshop in Yaoundé brought users together to review the modules and carry out practical tests.
The stakes concern the calculation of compensation and the sums that may be owed to the state under a system of administered prices. Since the fire at the Sonara refinery in 2019, the growing number of import operators has complicated this monitoring, the ministry explains. The digitisation aims to provide centralised information for budgetary decisions.
Making differential calculations more reliable
The stabilisation mechanism, described by the Hydrocarbon Price Stabilisation Fund, sets a transfer price for the importer and provides for compensation where the cost exceeds that price. Conversely, a cost below the regulated price may give rise to an overpayment. The reliability of the data therefore determines the calculation of the flows to be paid or recovered.
The application is to cover tenders, awards and the receipt of products. It will also make it possible to track importers, distributors and the validity of their approvals, and to centralise the elements needed to determine the differentials. The stated goal of reducing financial losses remains to be distinguished from a budgetary saving already recorded.
A project begun in 2024
This development extends a project begun in July 2024 with the creation of a project team. A first validation workshop was held in June 2025 in Mbakomo, bringing together in particular the finance and energy administrations, the CSPH, the SCDP, Sonara and customs. Instructions received in November 2025 then led to strengthened security, a modernised interface and the incorporation of amendments.
The phase presented in Yaoundé now focuses on the use of the modules, from the management of operators through to budgetary and accounting processing. The Directorate General of the Budget describes an operational verification stage ahead of deployment across the ministry's departments, with validation of test reports preceding the official rollout.