Littoral, Cameroon
Custom ERP and billing, AI agents, web applications and SaaS for logistics and distribution businesses in Douala. Built by Flip Retail in Jaipur, India, and delivered remotely, with working software every two weeks.
01 — Local economy
Most of Cameroon's imports and exports pass through the Port of Douala, which is also the main gateway for Chad and the Central African Republic. Breweries and soap, cement and food factories operate in the Bassa and Bonabéri industrial zones, bananas, cocoa and timber leave through the port, and Akwa's banks and offices sit alongside wholesale markets such as Mboppi and Marché Central.
French, English and Cameroonian Pidgin
02 — Industries
What we would build first for the industries Douala is known for.
03 — Compliance
What an ERP, billing system or AI agent has to respect here.
| Indirect tax | VAT (TVA), standard rate 19.25%Total VAT is 19.25% (17.5% principal rate plus 10% additional council tax on that VAT), exports are zero-rated, and from 2026 a 10% reduced rate applies to certain first-home and social-housing transactions. VAT invoicing applies to entities under the actual-earnings regime with turnover of XAF 50m or more. |
|---|---|
| E-invoicing | Planned · DGI real-time taxation regime / e-invoicing (in development)The 2026 Finance Law created a real-time taxation regime that collects tax at the point of transaction through electronic devices, starting with the petroleum and natural gas sectors. A general electronic invoicing platform was not yet operational in 2026. |
| Data protection | Law No. 2024/017 of 23 December 2024 on the protection of personal dataRequires prior authorisation or declaration with a new independent Personal Data Protection Authority, records of processing, and authorisation for international transfers, but as of March 2026 the implementing decree and ministerial orders were still pending, so the authority was not yet fully operational. |
| AI rules | No AI-specific statute identified; AI processing of personal data will fall under Law 2024/017 once its implementing framework is in place. |
| Systems we migrate from or connect to | Sage 100 / Saari, Odoo, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, QuickBooks, EBPMasters, ledgers, stock and open balances move across and are reconciled before cutover. |
| Payment rails for web apps and SaaS | MTN MoMo, Orange Money, CamPay, Notch Pay, Monetbil |
| Also worth knowing | This is a CEMAC jurisdiction using the revised OHADA accounting system (SYSCOHADA), and supplier invoices must carry the details required by Section 150(5) of the General Tax Code for expenses to be deductible. Under the 2026 Finance Law, non-resident digital companies with a significant economic presence pay 3% on Cameroon-source gross revenue. |
General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm current requirements during discovery; your tax adviser should confirm anything that affects filings.
Sources consulted:
04 — Working together
Jaipur is 4 h 30 min ahead of Douala all year. A 09:00 start there is 13:30 in Jaipur. Standard 09:00–18:00 office days overlap by 4 h 30 min, which is enough for live calls, demos and same-day answers.
Local time, standard time.
Pranjal was very professional with excellent communication and transparency.
50+ projects for 30+ clients in 11 countries over six-plus years.
05 — FAQ
Yes, remotely. Flip Retail is a software studio in Jaipur, India, with no office in Douala; discovery happens on video calls and you get working software every two weeks.
Jaipur is 4 h 30 min ahead of Douala all year. A 09:00 start there is 13:30 in Jaipur. Standard 09:00–18:00 office days overlap by 4 h 30 min, which is enough for live calls, demos and same-day answers.
Yes. Invoicing is built for Cameroon's VAT (standard rate 19.25%). On e-invoicing: The 2026 Finance Law created a real-time taxation regime that collects tax at the point of transaction through electronic devices, starting with the petroleum and natural gas sectors. A general electronic invoicing platform was not yet operational in 2026. When the mandate takes effect, a custom ERP can connect to DGI real-time taxation regime / e-invoicing through its official API or an accredited provider; we design for it from the start.
You choose: your own cloud account in a region that suits you, or your own servers. Access inside the system is role-based, and during development we work on test or masked data wherever possible. Requires prior authorisation or declaration with a new independent Personal Data Protection Authority, records of processing, and authorisation for international transfers, but as of March 2026 the implementing decree and ministerial orders were still pending, so the authority was not yet fully operational.
Yes. Masters, ledgers, stock and opening balances move across and are reconciled with your accountant before cutover, ideally at a year-end or quarter-end.
For French and English, yes: current language models handle them well, including mixed-language messages. Support for Cameroonian Pidgin is more limited, so we test with real customer messages before committing to it, and route anything the agent is unsure about to your team.
Usually one module that fixes the most expensive problem first. For logistics & ports that is often job & shipment costing and warehouse management (bins, put-away, picking). It goes live early, and the rest of the system follows in two-week increments while your team is already using it.
Contact
Tell us about the process you want fixed. We reply within one working day.