Introduction

Cameroon is Central Africa’s largest economy and the seat of the OHADA Permanent Secretariat. Companies formed in Cameroon are governed by the OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies (AUSCGIE), which applies directly across all 17 OHADA member states — meaning the company you incorporate in Douala can operate across the region on a single harmonised legal footing.

Step 1 — Choose the right entity

The revised AUSCGIE offers several company forms: the société anonyme (SA), suited to larger businesses and public investment; the société à responsabilité limitée (SARL), the most common vehicle for small and medium enterprises; the société en nom collectif (SNC) and société en commandite simple (SCS) for partnerships; and the groupement d’intérêt économique (GIE) for joint purposes. There is no statutory minimum share capital for a SARL — shareholders set the capital freely in the statuts. The choice drives governance, liability and tax treatment, and should be made with advice.

Step 2 — Prepare the constitutional documents

The statuts (articles of incorporation) must be drafted and signed, and founder identity documents, address evidence and, for certain structures, notarised deeds must be assembled. Because Cameroon is bijural, documentation practice differs between the francophone civil law and anglophone common law regions — documents should be prepared in both working languages where the business will operate nationally.

Step 3 — Register through the CFCE

The Centre de Formalités de Création des Entreprises (CFCE) is the one-stop shop for business creation. Filing at the CFCE secures, in a single process, the company’s entry in the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM), the tax identification number (NIU) and related registrations. Where the file is complete, registration is typically completed within days; end to end, including tax and social security registrations, businesses are ordinarily operational within two to four weeks.

Step 4 — Post-incorporation compliance

After registration, companies must enrol with the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS), appoint directors and — above AUSCGIE thresholds — a statutory auditor (commissaire aux comptes), hold constitutive general meetings where required, publish the required legal notices, and obtain any sector-specific licences. Ongoing obligations include RCCM filings for leadership changes and audited accounts under the SYSCOHADA framework for larger companies.

Conclusion

Company formation in Cameroon is faster and more predictable than its reputation suggests, but the documentation choices made at incorporation shape the company’s governance, financing and exit options for years. ALPs manages the full process for founders, investors and multinationals entering Cameroon.