Why did Cameroon accept an International Monetary Fund structural adjustment program?

Cameroon accepted an International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment program in the late 1980s primarily due to a severe economic crisis.12

Following two decades of post-independence prosperity, the country entered a lengthy recession caused by a combination of economic mismanagement and a significant drop in the global prices of key export commodities, specifically oil, cocoa, and coffee. By 1987, the government recognized that it could no longer sustain its budget deficits or manage its economic troubles independently.132

The resulting IMF intervention required the country to implement structural reforms and budget cuts to address its balance-of-payments deficits. These programs aimed to stabilize the economy by reducing government spending, privatizing state-controlled sectors—such as port activities—and restructuring the banking system. Despite these efforts, the country continued to face challenges, including high levels of corruption and a persistent dependence on volatile global commodity markets.342561