Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze at official launching of 2026 budget in Ngaoundere
The Minister of Finance Louis Paul Motaze has officially launched the 2026 state budget.
The launching ceremony took place in Ngaoundere January 13, 2026 with emphasis on consolidating existing achievements and accelerating decentralization, according to the Minister.
The choice of launching in Ngaoundere the Minister said was not accidental.
“ It reflects the Head of State’s commitment to promoting balanced development and recognizing Adamawa’s strategic role as a link between the North and South of the country,” Motaze said.
The overall state budget for 2026 is set at 8,816.4 billion FCFA, marking a 14% increase (1,080.5 billion FCFA more) compared to the previous year.
This budget accordingly is consistent with the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND30) and has clear priorities. These include achieving food sovereignty, balancing the energy sector, and promoting social inclusion.
Regarding the first objective, the Minister notes that the state intends to continue accelerating the import-substitution plan for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries (PIISAH) to enable critical production of locally grown, high-consumption agricultural and livestock products. As for energy, the goal is to restore the financial stability of the electricity sector, including the repurchase of ACTIS shares from ENEO.
Regarding social inclusion, public action is focused on the operational deployment of resources allocated to the Special Fund for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment, which has been fixed at 50 billion CFA francs.
“The launch in Ngaoundéré also marks the start of a pivotal year in which the State, despite sometimes constrained cash flow, is committed to gradually clearing its domestic debt to reassure its economic partners,” he said.
Specifically, Louis Paul Motaze addressed aspects related to accelerating decentralization and tax and customs incentives in the agricultural and livestock sector.
A Tax Revolution for Farmers
For agricultural producers and livestock farmers, the 2026 Finance Law represents a tax revolution. It aims at making agriculture the engine of national growth. The 2026 budget includes massive tax breaks designed to reduce investment costs by approximately 30%. These measures are crucial for the Adamawa Region, the country’s true breadbasket.
Thus, overall, stakeholders in the country’s agricultural and livestock production chain will benefit from the following key exemptions: a complete exemption from employer and employee social security contributions on wages paid to seasonal agricultural workers; exemption from VAT on the purchase of pesticides, fertilizers, inputs, and equipment for agriculture, livestock farming, and fishing; exemption from registration fees on land transfers for agricultural operations and on loan agreements intended to finance these activities; exemption from property tax (excluding office space); and, for the first five years, an exemption from business license fees and income tax prepayments is also granted to producers.
Strengthening Decentralization
The 2026 budget marks a turning point with the implementation of the local taxation law adopted in 2024. The objective is to move from dependence on state transfers to genuine financial autonomy for Decentralized Territorial Collectivities (CTDs).
To this end, the new tools available to Regions and Municipalities consist of direct tax revenue transfers to the CTDs to strengthen their capacity for action. The State is also establishing a regional tax basket. This involves setting up operational components for the pool of taxes and duties specifically allocated at the regional level.
Mechanisms for deploying tax and accounting systems within the Ministry of Finance, aimed at guaranteeing the regular and secure transfer of funds to the CTDs, have been put in place to prevent periods of overspending. Regarding governance, the Minister of Finance urged local elected officials to manage debt prudently and to better control spending to avoid any negative budgetary spiral.
Thanks to these reforms, the region North region for example has a budget of 41.2 billion FCFA for 2026. The challenge is to transform these tax breaks and transferred resources into concrete achievements focused on modernizing livestock farming and opening up access to isolated ar