Economy

At financing gala in Douala: Finance ministry honours top 2025 budget backers.

by Mercy Fosoh
25 Feb 2026 12:14
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R-L, Finance minister presenting award to Ecobank’s Managing Director, Gwendoline Abunaw

The Ministry of Finance, MINFI, has honoured leading financial institutions and media organs for their contribution to Cameroon’s public financing efforts. This was during a gala evening, organised in Douala, on February 19, 2025.
The ceremony held on the sidelines of the launch of the State’s 2026 budget financing plan, which brought together key actors in the financial market and specialised economic media organs.

Eight categories and thirteen actors were rewarded during the event. Presenting the criteria and evaluation basis for the distinctions, the Director of the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Samuel Tela, announced the names of the main laureates for the 2025 financial year.

In the Best Investment Bank category, Afreximbank secured the top award after carrying out operations exceeding FCFA 600 billion in favour of Cameroon in 2025.

According to the Treasury Director, the bank mobilised €300 million on the money market, approximately FCFA 200 billion, describing the operation as an innovation on the market.

Afreximbank also guaranteed a 238 billion FCFA loan from local banks to limit their exposure and increase their capacity to raise funds for the State. In addition, the institution granted a €500 million loan to Cameroon to finance development projects.

Ecobank crowned best Treasury Securities Specialist

Among local market actors, Ecobank Cameroon was distinguished as Best Treasury Securities Specialist, SVT, with a score of 23.98.

The Pan-African bank subscribed FCFA 77.5 billion in Treasury Bonds, FCFA 261.9 billion in Treasury Bills, sold FCFA 131.7 billion in securities and purchased public securities, amounting to FCFA 356.3 billion.

It ranked ahead of Société Générale Cameroun, which obtained an average score of 16.12, after subscribing more than FCFA 90 billion in Treasury Bonds and FCFA 70.9 billion in Treasury Bills.

The bank also recorded sales of public securities, exceeding CFA156 billion and purchases of around FCFA 142.7 billion.

Third place in the category went to SCB Cameroun, which scored 8.35 with subscriptions of FCFA 63 billion in Treasury Bonds and FCFA 86.4 billion in Treasury Bills.

The award for Best Non-Resident SVT was granted to Union Gabonaise de Banque, a subsidiary of Attijariwafa Bank.

The bank subscribed FCFA 38.4 billion in Treasury Bills, purchased FCFA 12.5 billion in public securities and sold FCFA 10.8 billion in Cameroonian public securities.

The Best Progression Award in the SVT category went to Crédit du Congo, which moved from 18th place in 2024 to 12th in 2025.

For significant contribution to the money market outside the SVT framework, Citibank Cameroun and Access Bank Cameroun received the Best Non-SVT Bank prize.

R-L, MINFI boss presenting award to SCB Director General, Nabil Kadiri

CDEC overtakes CNPS as top institutional investor

The Deposits and Consignment Fund of Cameroon, CDEC, won the Best Institutional Investor award, with a total mobilisation of FCFA 59.65 billion, including FCFA 51.15 billion on the primary market and FCFA 8.5 billion on the secondary market.

The institution displaced the National Social Insurance Fund, CNPS, which had held the top position in 2024.

Press honours

Several media organisations were also rewarded for their role in structuring operations and mobilising savings on the financial market.

For the third consecutive year, EcoMatin was named Best Economic Press in Cameroon. It was followed by Le Financier d’Afrique and the English-language daily, The Guardian Post.

The distinctions were awarded as part of activities marking the presentation of the State’s 2026 financing strategy, highlighting the institutions and partners that contributed most significantly to budget mobilisation efforts in 2025.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3712 of Monday February 23, 2026