The import bill for diesel destined for the national market experienced a significant surge during the third quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, reaching 860.10 FCFA per liter in September compared to 653.85 FCFA in July. This 31.5% increase — equivalent to a rise of over 206 FCFA per unit — stems primarily from persistent tension in international diesel markets, combined with declining global inventories and restrictions on Russian exports. 


Upstream, the average reference quotation and the importer premium account for the bulk of this upward trend, pushing the pre-tax product price to unprecedented levels for the period.

Maintained artificially at 828 FCFA per liter at the pump for motorists in Douala, administered prices consequently require a considerable expansion of the mitigation mechanism. The line dedicated to state support and reimbursement in the official structure thus reaches 315.47 FCFA per liter in September, nearly tripling compared to the level observed two months earlier. This compensation mechanism, managed by the state regulatory body, neutralizes the gap between actual acquisition costs and the selling price borne by distributors.


Other products face comparable pressures, such as lamp oil, whose import cost approaches 740 FCFA for a retail price frozen at 350 FCFA, generating an even more pronounced unit subsidy. Fixed, incompressible charges — such as transport equalization, the special tax on petroleum products, and contributions earmarked for infrastructure renewal — continue to shape the price structure borne by operators in the value chain.


BCN

Tags: carburants gazoil état soutien subvention carburant prix carburant douala septembre 2026 importation diesel prix administrés bcne