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    AI by country · Central Africa

    AI in Cameroon: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Cameroon know before starting with AI?

    Cameroon has no AI law as of 29 October 2026. Its first personal data law, Law 2024/017 of 23 December 2024, gave organisations 18 months to comply, a period that ended on 23 June 2026. It requires prior authorization for processing and for transfers abroad, gives people the right to object to fully automated decisions, and makes processing for profiling a criminal offence, which matters for AI.

    At a glance

    Cameroon at a glance

    Key facts about Cameroon
    Data protection lawLaw 2024/017 of 23 December 2024, in force; 18-month compliance period ended 23 June 2026
    RegulatorAutorité de protection des données à caractère personnel (APDP), created by the law; setup decree not found as of 29 October 2026
    AI policyNational AI strategy to 2040 presented in July 2025, final adoption unclear. No dedicated AI law as of 29 October 2026
    Time zoneWAT, UTC+1 (India is 4.5 hours ahead)
    CurrencyXAF (Central African CFA franc)
    Business languageFrench and English

    Why now

    Why Cameroon is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The 18-month period that Law 2024/017 gave organisations to comply ended on 23 June 2026.[1]

    • In July 2025 the posts and telecommunications minister presented a national AI strategy with 2040 goals of 60,000 AI talents trained, 40% of them women, and 12,000 jobs.[3]

    • The strategy rests on seven pillars, including multilingual and inclusive AI, and calls for an AI law and a competent authority.[3]

    • The minister cited over 12,000 km of land fibre and four submarine cables serving Cameroon.[3]

    • A February 2026 workshop on responsible AI in public administration was still calling for the strategy to be finalised and for a risk-based rulebook.[4]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Law 2024/017 of 23 December 2024 on the protection of personal data in Cameroon

    In force2024Processing needs prior, voluntary, informed, specific and unambiguous consent, with exceptions such as a legal duty (article 9), and prior authorization from the data protection authority (article 19). High-risk processing needs an impact assessment first (article 33). Transfers abroad need prior authorization (article 32). Breaches must be reported to the authority and the person without delay (article 22). People can object to decisions based only on automated processing, including profiling, and ask for human intervention (article 44).[1]

    Law 2024/017: prohibitions and penalties

    In force2024Processing data on religion, ethnicity, political opinion, and genetics and biometrics in health is banned (article 48). Processing personal data for profiling carries 3 to 10 years in prison and/or 1 to 20 million CFA francs (article 65); how this fits with the article 44 exceptions is unclear. Processing without authorization can cost 5 to 50 million CFA francs (article 55), and an unauthorized transfer abroad 10 to 50 million (article 60). Companies face criminal fines of 50 million to 1 billion CFA francs (article 71).[1]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Banking and mobile money

    Fraud monitoring and customer service in French and English.

    Article 48 bans processing personal data in banking transactions without prior authorization from the competent bodies. Credit scoring is a form of profiling, so get legal advice before automating it.[1]

    Telecoms

    Network fault prediction and call-centre assistants, using data that does not identify subscribers where possible.

    A press analysis notes that operators must review how they keep and share metadata under the new law.[5]

    Public administration

    Bilingual assistants that help citizens with procedures.

    The February 2026 workshop recommended a risk-based framework and an interministerial body for AI in public bodies.[4]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Check that every processing of personal data, including AI, has the prior authorization article 19 requires, or that your request is filed.
    2. Do not build systems whose purpose is profiling people without legal advice. Article 65 makes profiling a criminal offence.
    3. Run an impact assessment before any high-risk AI use (article 33).
    4. Get prior authorization before sending personal data to an AI service abroad (article 32).
    5. Offer human intervention and a way to contest any decision taken only by a model (article 44).
    6. Keep a register of processing activities and a written contract with every processor (articles 29 and 30).
    7. Watch for the decree that sets up the authority and the texts that apply the law.

    AI services for Cameroon

    AI consulting and development for teams in Cameroon

    We work remotely with companies in Cameroon, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
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    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
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    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Cameroon is on UTC+1 and India on UTC+5:30, a 4.5 hour gap. Taking a 09:00 to 17:00 day in Yaoundé or Douala and 09:30 to 18:30 in India, the overlap is 5 hours, from 09:00 to 14:00 Cameroon time.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Cameroon

    Does Cameroon have an AI law?

    No, not as of 29 October 2026. The national AI strategy presented in July 2025 calls for one. Law 2024/017 on personal data is the main rule that applies to AI today.

    Is the data protection law already enforceable?

    The law has applied since its promulgation in December 2024, and the 18-month period to comply ended on 23 June 2026. We could not find the presidential decree that organises the authority, so ask a lawyer how enforcement works in practice.

    Can we use AI for credit scoring or customer segmentation?

    Be careful. Article 65 punishes processing personal data for profiling with prison and fines, and article 44 lets people object to fully automated decisions. Get local legal advice before you start.

    Can we use a foreign AI service with customer data?

    Only with prior authorization from the data protection authority (article 32). An unauthorized transfer can bring a fine of 10 to 50 million CFA francs and criminal penalties.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

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    AI use case triage

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    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, 2024-12-23. Loi N° 2024/017 du 23 décembre 2024 relative à la protection des donnée…(prc.cm)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Loi N° 2024/017 du 23 décembre 2024 relative à la protection des données à caractère personnel au Cameroun. Primary law text in French, a certified true copy, read in full. Used for articles 9, 19, 22, 29, 30, 32, 33, 44, 48, 53, 55, 60, 65, 71 and 73. The reading is ours. The 23 June 2026 date is 18 months from promulgation under article 73.

    2. [2] Digital Business Africa, 2024-12-24. Cameroun : l'Autorité de protection des données à caractère personnel c…(digitalbusiness.africa)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Cameroun : l'Autorité de protection des données à caractère personnel créée. Press report. Used for the creation of the APDP by article 53 of the law. Article 53(2) leaves its organisation to a presidential decree, which we did not find.

    3. [3] Digital Business Africa, 2025-07-07. Cameroun : Minette Libom Li Likeng dévoile le contenu de la stratégie n…(digitalbusiness.africa)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Cameroun : Minette Libom Li Likeng dévoile le contenu de la stratégie nationale d'IA aux CONIA 2025. Press report of the minister's speech. Used for the 2040 targets, the seven pillars, the AI law and authority goal, and the fibre and cable figures. We found no official strategy document.

    4. [4] Digital Business Africa, 2026-02-18. Cameroun : des recommandations de plus sur l'IA mais toujours pas de st…(digitalbusiness.africa)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Cameroun : des recommandations de plus sur l'IA mais toujours pas de stratégie nationale dédiée. Press report. Used for the strategy still awaiting finalisation in February 2026 and the workshop recommendations.

    5. [5] CIO Mag, 2025-12-23. Protection des données au Cameroun : la course contre la montre avant j…(cio-mag.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Protection des données au Cameroun : la course contre la montre avant juin 2026. Press analysis, used for interpretation only: the sectors affected, such as telecoms metadata. Its sanction claims based on turnover were not found in the law text and are not used.

    6. [6] Droit Médias Finance, undated. Cameroun : la loi sur la protection des données à caractère personnel e…(droitmediasfinance.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Cameroun : la loi sur la protection des données à caractère personnel entre en vigueur ce 23 juin 2026. Legal news report, used to confirm the end of the 18-month grace period on 23 June 2026. The page shows no year in its date, so none is given here.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Cameroon's data protection law is new, its authority's setup decree was not found, and the article on profiling may be read in different ways. Check your plans with a qualified Cameroonian lawyer. Facts were checked on 29 October 2026.

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