INTERVIEW –
« Cameroon’s palm oil sector context reinforces the urgency of sustainable transformation: national production is estimated at 446,984 tonnes (2024) against demand exceeding 1 million tonnes annually, creating a structural deficit of over 500,000 tonnes, highlighting the need for sustainable productivity expansion rather than deforestation-driven growth »
Serge Nguene,Director General of CIME SERVICES SARL
INTERVIEW –
« Cameroon’s palm oil sector context reinforces the urgency of sustainable transformation: national production is estimated at 446,984 tonnes (2024) against demand exceeding 1 million tonnes annually, creating a structural deficit of over 500,000 tonnes, highlighting the need for sustainable productivity expansion rather than deforestation-driven growth »
Serge Nguene ,Director General CIME SERVICES Sarl
- Monsieur le Directeur Général quels commentaires faites-vous après avoir participé à la première session du Comité de Régulation de la Filière Huile de Palme présidée le 02 juin 2026 à Yaoundé par le Ministre du Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana ?
We sincerely thank His Excellency Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Cameroon, for convening this inaugural session of the Consultative Committee on the Palm Oil Sector. This platform is a timely and strategic initiative aimed at strengthening value chain coordination, reducing import dependency, and embedding sustainability into national agricultural development.
From a global standpoint, FAO and USDA data confirm that the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originated in West and Central Africa, yet today Indonesia and Malaysia account for approximately 85% of global production, while Africa contributes only about 4–5%. This structural imbalance highlights both a challenge and a historic opportunity for Cameroon to reposition itself as a competitive and sustainable producer.
The Committee therefore represents a critical step toward aligning production growth with ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, and sustainable land management.
- Comment votre entreprise entend-elle mettre en application les résolutions ?
The resolutions are directly aligned with CIME Services’ core technical expertise in environmental engineering, ESG compliance, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable development planning.
They also reflect international sustainability frameworks such as RSPO, REDD+, AFR100, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), which collectively promote production systems based on degraded land restoration, biodiversity protection, carbon sequestration, and climate-smart agriculture.
This is particularly important given that RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil now represents about 20.1% of global production (≈16.1 million tonnes), confirming the global shift toward traceable and responsible supply chains.
- Pourriez-vous nous lister les domaines d’intervention de votre entreprise ?
CIME Services applies a modern, science-driven and technology-enabled approach built on:
Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA)
Environmental audits and risk assessments
Climate resilience and ecosystem restoration programs
ESG compliance systems
Digital monitoring, GIS tools, and data analytics platforms.
We continuously strengthen our capacity through digital transformation tools that improve environmental monitoring, traceability, reporting quality, and decision-making efficiency.
Our commitment is to deliver solutions that are technically robust, regulatorily compliant, and environmentally sustainable, while generating measurable value for stakeholders.
- Quels sont les objectifs fixés par CIME SERVICES SARL ?
CIME Services is a Cameroon-based environmental and sustainability consulting firm operating within the CIME Group (CIME Consulting & CIME Services), established in the year 2000.
Since the passing of its Founder and former Executive Managing Director, Dr. François Roger Nguene (RIP, 2020), the Group has continued its development under the current management team, maintaining and strengthening its multidisciplinary positioning in environmental engineering, ESG advisory, infrastructure support, and sustainable development integration across Cameroon and the sub-region.CIME Services’ mission is to act as a sustainable development integrator, balancing economic development, environmental protection, and social inclusion.
Key flagship projects include:
Ndogpassi Natural Gas Plant (Douala) .
Environmental and social studies for a landmark onshore gas facility inaugurated by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cameroon, developed under a partnership between SNH and Victoria Oil & Gas Plc, with an estimated investment of US$100 million (∼50 billion FCFA).
SCDP Environmental Audit Project (Yaoundé)
Comprehensive environmental audit of petroleum storage facilities for the Société Camerounaise des Dépôts Pétroliers (SCDP), focusing on compliance, industrial risk reduction, and environmental performance improvement.
Pizzarotti Social Housing Project (Mfou)
Environmental and social studies supporting large-scale housing development, addressing urban expansion, infrastructure integration, and sustainable land use planning for over 10,000 housing units.
FLNG Hilli Project (Offshore Cameroon)
High-level environmental assessment and technical support for floating LNG operations, demonstrating CIME Services’ capacity to operate within complex offshore gas infrastructure environments with stringent international compliance standards.
Kribi Deep Sea Port Project
Environmental and social impact studies supporting one of Central Africa’s most strategic maritime infrastructure developments, focused on port expansion, industrial logistics, and regional trade integration.
Essos II Market (Yaoundé)
ESIA contributing to improved urban commercial infrastructure, expected to enhance trade efficiency, reduce informal congestion, improve hygiene standards, and strengthen local economic value chains.
Mabanda River Restoration (Édéa)
Ecosystem restoration and riverbank stabilization program focused on erosion control, biodiversity recovery, and climate resilience for surrounding communities.
In addition, CIME Services has implemented close to 100 multi-sectoral projects across oil and gas, energy, infrastructure, urban development, environmental management, and climate resilience.
Cameroon’s palm oil sector context reinforces the urgency of sustainable transformation: national production is estimated at 446,984 tonnes (2024) against demand exceeding 1 million tonnes annually, creating a structural deficit of over 500,000 tonnes, highlighting the need for sustainable productivity expansion rather than deforestation-driven growth.
- Quelles difficultés rencontrez-vous sur le terrain ?
CIME Services faces several structural challenges common to sustainability and environmental consulting firms:
Limited financing for climate and ecosystem restoration projects
Insufficient institutional and technical capacity in ESG implementation
Limited availability of reliable environmental and spatial data
Rapidly evolving international compliance and sustainability reporting requirements.
These challenges are viewed as opportunities to accelerate innovation, strengthen digital transformation, and enhance environmental governance systems.
- Auriez-vous quelques attentes du Gouvernement ?
We sincerely acknowledge the Government’s continued efforts to strengthen the palm oil sector and promote sustainable development.
Our key recommendations are:
Accelerate rural infrastructure development to improve access to production zones
Strengthen technical training and agricultural extension services
Improve access to financing for agricultural investments
Support modernization of processing infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and increase value addition
Reinforce alignment with global sustainability frameworks such as RSPO REDD AFR100,and ecosystem restoration initiatives .
We strongly beleve that Cameroon’s long-term competitiveness in the palm oil sector will depend on a balanced strategy combining productivity growth,import substitution,ecosystem restoration,and climate-resilient land management.
Interview réalisée par J.K
