More than 2 million metres of loincloths have been imported from India by Cameroon’s textile company to meet local demand.

The mood is far from being cheerful at the Industrial Cotton Company of Cameroon (Cicam). As the years go by, the company is no longer able to keep its machines running at full capacity. According to several sources, this is due to its aging equipment. The latest news concerns the International Women’s Day celebrations.

The state-owned company has signed an agreement with an Indian subcontractor who will ensure the availability of the loincloth in order to satisfy the local market. In exchange, Cicam will have to pay the subcontractor after sales. The total cost of this import would be around ten billion CFA francs. 2.2 million running metres of loincloth has already been imported by Cicam.

This is not the first time CICAM has chosen this approach. In 2023, for example, the textile company had recourse to the import of loincloths in order to compensate for its production shortfall. It imported 1.1 million running metres from the same Indian subcontractor and only produced 900,000 running metres.