In CEMAC, average lending rate falls despite rises in several countries

SMEs benefit from easing financing conditions across the region. Differences between countries remain wide, with an average rate of 21.51% in Gabon.

The average overall effective lending rate in CEMAC fell to 10.99% in the second quarter of 2026, from 11.53% a year earlier, according to the report of the Bank of Central African States published on 22 October. This regional decline does not apply to all countries. Rates rose notably in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Conditions eased markedly for SMEs, whose average rate fell to 11.15%, from 19.10% a year earlier. The rate applied to individuals remains almost stable at 15.49%, while that for large companies rose to 10.37%, from 7.45% in the second quarter of 2025.

The average rate reaches 21.51% in Gabon, from 20.07% a year earlier. It also rises in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, while in the Republic of Congo it falls from 17.78% to 10%.

In Chad, the overall rate rises from 7.42% to 8.47%. The rate of 11.47%, also published by the BEAC, applies only to loans excluding commitments by signature, a separate scope.

The regional rate decline accompanies a 6.03% fall in the volume of new loans over one year, to 2,903.6 billion FCFA.

Short-term loans account for around three quarters of new financing granted across the sub-region.

Correction

25 October 2026 : The headline and lead have been corrected to clarify that Gabon was not the only country where rates rose year on year. Chad’s overall rate was 8.47%; the previously cited 11.47% excludes signature commitments. The article now distinguishes these two scopes.

Correction

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