Construction cost in Central Africa (CEMAC zone): the FCFA benchmarks

One currency, six countries, similar building sites

The Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa brings together Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, the Central African Republic and Chad around the Central African CFA franc (XAF) issued by the BEAC — not to be confused with the West African XOF, which has the same euro peg but is not interchangeable. From one country to the next you find the same site fundamentals: reinforced-concrete structure, block or brick walls, sheet roofing, and a shared normative heritage (NF DTU-style codes of practice, CEMAC practice).

What makes costs diverge between countries

Three variables dominate. Port access: Douala, Kribi, Libreville-Owendo, Pointe-Noire, Malabo and Bata receive imported cement, steel and sheet; N'Djamena and Bangui truck them in, with a heavy premium on the shell. Local industry: Cameroon produces its own cement (Cimencam-Dangote, CIMAF), which cushions prices; countries without a cement plant bear the import cost. Labour: markedly more expensive in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea than in Cameroon or Chad. Tax differs too — Cameroon's VAT is 19.25%, each country sets its own rate.

Cameroon, the zone's published reference

For Cameroon we publish a complete index, generated by the SangoImmo costing engine (methodology) and downloadable as open data: the 2026 construction price index (cost per m² by house type, 136 materials prices, a regional index over 10 cities), the cost by house type, the materials prices and the city ranking. A 3-bedroom house there costs about 27 400 000 FCFA incl. tax excluding land.

Transposing carefully elsewhere in the CEMAC zone

We do not (yet) publish a costed index for the other countries of the zone — and we would rather say so than invent figures. The reasonable transposition: in a port city, imported-materials prices are comparable to Douala's; inland, add transport on the heavy items (cement, steel, sheet) the way our Cameroonian regional index does; labour must be recalibrated locally (substantially higher in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea). The SangoImmo app works everywhere in FCFA: every unit price in the catalogue can be adjusted to your suppliers, and the quote recomputes for your country.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cameroon's FCFA the same as Gabon's or Chad's?

Yes: the six CEMAC countries share the Central African CFA franc (XAF), issued by the BEAC. Do not confuse it with the West African FCFA (XOF, UEMOA zone): same euro peg, but the two currencies are not interchangeable.

Can SangoImmo be used outside Cameroon?

Yes. The app works offline and costs in FCFA: adjust the catalogue's unit prices to your local suppliers (Libreville, Pointe-Noire, N'Djamena…) to get a quote valid in your country. The compliance checks (CEMAC, NF DTU, SANS 10400) stay relevant across the zone.

Are Cameroonian prices valid in the other CEMAC countries?

As an order of magnitude on the coast, yes: imported materials land at similar prices. Inland (Chad, CAR) or in high-wage economies (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea), raise transport and labour respectively. The Cameroon benchmark: 281 000 FCFA/m² to 343 000 FCFA/m² for a standard house, excluding land.