GECAM: Pushes For Bourse Nationale Déchets Suspension In Cameroun

• GECAM wrote to the Minister of Environment on August 28, 2026, demanding adherence to a Prime Ministerial instruction to suspend the mandatory Bourse Nationale des Déchets (BND) platform.
• MINEPDED's circular of February 12, 2026, made the BND platform mandatory, but the Prime Minister ordered its suspension on July 1, 2026, citing the need for further development and stakeholder consultations.
• Despite the Prime Minister's directive, MINEPDED services continue to enforce the mandatory use of the BND, refusing to issue traceability manifests.
• This creates significant legal uncertainty for businesses in Cameroun, harming economic operators and potentially leading to irreversible consequences for waste-sector companies and associated jobs.
• GECAM supports waste valorization but insists that the mandatory nature of the platform requires prior consultation to ensure proper implementation.

The ongoing enforcement of the BND mandate, despite the Prime Minister's instruction, has generated profound legal uncertainty for businesses operating in Cameroun.

The Groupement des Entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM), led by Célestin Tawamba, recently escalated its concerns regarding the Bourse Nationale des Déchets (BND) platform, sending a letter to the Minister of Environment on August 28, 2026. This communication highlights the continued enforcement of a circular that mandates the use of the BND platform, despite a direct instruction from the Prime Minister for its suspension. The employers' association is pressing for adherence to the Prime Minister's directive, emphasizing the need to halt the compulsory application of the BND system.

The core of the dispute centers on the Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED)'s persistent implementation of its circular, originally issued on February 12, 2026. This circular made the use of the BND platform obligatory for waste management in Cameroun. GECAM's latest correspondence underscores that MINEPDED's services are still imposing this directive on businesses, creating significant operational and legal challenges across the country.

The mandatory nature of the BND platform, established by MINEPDED's circular on February 12, 2026, was subsequently challenged by the employers' association. Following their intervention, the Prime Minister issued a directive on July 1, 2026, instructing MINEPDED to withdraw the controversial circular. This instruction was based on the observation that the BND digital platform and its associated traceability manifest required further development and extensive consultations with all stakeholders.

The Prime Minister's office determined that additional work was necessary to ensure the system's compliance with existing regulatory frameworks and to guarantee its operational viability. However, GECAM reports that this high-level instruction has been disregarded. Ministry personnel are reportedly refusing to issue traceability manifests and are instead systematically directing companies to comply with the original February 12, 2026, circular, effectively nullifying the Prime Minister's intervention regarding the GECAM Bourse Nationale Déchets suspension Cameroun.

The ongoing enforcement of the BND mandate, despite the Prime Minister's instruction, has generated profound legal uncertainty for businesses operating in Cameroun. Célestin Tawamba, GECAM's president, asserts that this situation is detrimental to economic operators and erodes their legitimate trust in state institutions. The lack of clarity and the conflicting directives create an unpredictable environment for companies, particularly those involved in the waste management sector.

Furthermore, GECAM warns that these circumstances could lead to irreversible consequences for businesses whose primary activities are centered on the waste value chain. Such an outcome would have a direct and severe impact on the thousands of jobs associated with these enterprises. While GECAM acknowledges the official objective of the BND — to facilitate connections between waste producers and recycling actors to foster a circular economy and improve gestion déchets Cameroun — it insists that the mandatory aspect of the plateforme BND obligatoire Cameroun must be preceded by comprehensive consultations to ensure a fair and effective implementation.

Lawyers and compliance officers in Cameroon must advise businesses navigating conflicting directives regarding the Bourse Nationale des Déchets platform. Despite a Prime Minister's instruction to suspend the mandatory circular, the Ministry of Environment continues enforcement, creating legal uncertainty and potential compliance risks for companies involved in waste management.

Source: Original reporting via Actu Cameroun