Cameroon’s leading packaging entity, Multiprint Labels & Packaging, has unveiled a strategic 3-billion CFA francs investment initiative for 2026 at its primary Douala facility.
The major industrial expansion targets two critical import-substitution segments within Central Africa: high-value premium cardboard packaging and crown caps. By bolstering its production infrastructure, the group aims to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains while significantly enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The centerpiece of the expansion is the commissioning of a German Heidelberg Speedmaster CX 104 offset press, representing a 2-billion CFA francs investment. Operating at speeds of up to 15,000 sheets per hour, the high-capacity press will elevate Multiprint’s annual label production capacity from 3 billion to over 14 billion units. This volume easily fulfills 150 percent of domestic Cameroonian demand and nearly 90 percent of the total requirements across the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) region, positioning the company to capture a sub-regional premium packaging market projected to exceed 24 billion CFA francs by 2030.
To capture the regional crown cap market—an area historically dependent on external imports—Multiprint is installing an Italian SACMI PMC300C production line valued at 600 million CFA francs. Financed through a partnership with Societe Generale Cameroon, the machinery is scheduled to go operational in December 2026, generating approximately 3,000 caps per minute. To guard against national power grid instability and advance environmental goals, the company is additionally allocating 400 million CFA francs to build an on-site solar photovoltaic plant, securing continuous operations while avoiding an estimated 365 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Chief Executive Officer of Multiprint and Chairman of the Industry Commission of GECAM, Ibrahima Ousmanou, highlighted that each crown cap manufactured locally directly reduces foreign currency outflows, generates tax revenue, and creates skilled domestic jobs. The latest 3-billion CFA francs project marks the opening phase of a broader 25-billion CFA francs long-term investment plan intended to drive company revenues toward 70 billion CFA francs by 2030. Having recorded a 15 percent revenue increase in the first quarter of 2026 and cumulative growth exceeding 400 percent since 2019, the key supplier to major regional brand networks including Nestlé, Castel, Cadyst Groupe, and Source du Pays continues to solidify its role as an industrial leader across Central Africa.
AP/fss/abj/APA