01An economy of family groups
Between Douala, the maritime gateway to Central Africa, and Yaoundé, the administrative capital, a generation of family groups has taken shape: import-export and distribution, breweries and food processing, construction, transport and logistics, plantations. These fortunes share one defining trait: the founder remains at the centre, and the second generation — often educated in France — is waiting in the wings. Here, the question of succession is more pressing than anywhere else.
02The challenges we encounter
Our Cameroonian engagements share recurring themes: preparing the founder's succession without weakening the group — governance, shareholder agreements, each child's place according to their involvement; building outside the zone a family wealth reserve, liquid and neutral, dependent on neither the group nor the country; housing in France the family real estate tied to studies and stays; and securing the compliance of flows between the CEMAC zone and Europe, whose foreign-exchange regulations demand method and anticipation.
03A case in point
Emmanuel, 61, built a distribution and logistics group in Douala. Five children, two in the business and three settled in France. Arrangements under way: a family holding company to clarify ownership of the group and prepare each child's place, Luxembourg life insurance (2,5 M€) as the family reserve outside the zone, and the acquisition of a residence in Paris's 16th arrondissement through a French société civile (family property company) with early ownership splitting (démembrement) in favour of the children based in France. The guiding principle: what each child receives is set down in writing, distinct from what the business requires.
04How we work with Cameroon
The relationship is conducted remotely and during your visits to France, with particular care given to documentary preparation: CEMAC foreign-exchange regulations and European compliance requirements make it essential to anticipate every transfer. We coordinate with your advisers in Douala and Yaoundé, and act only on the French and European portion of your wealth. Relationships begin by invitation or referral.
05Frequently asked questions
Are transfers from the CEMAC zone an obstacle?
They call for anticipation, not resignation: documenting the origin of funds, complying with foreign-exchange regulations, setting a realistic timetable. A well-prepared file goes through; an improvised one gets bogged down. This is precisely the groundwork we prepare in advance with your banks.
How do we organise the place of children unequally involved in the group?
By separating what belongs to the business (governance, management, dividends) from what belongs to the family's wealth (a reserve outside the zone, real estate, life insurance). Each child can be treated fairly without all of them running the company. The tools: a holding company, shareholder agreements, shared lifetime gifts, beneficiary clauses.
Do you advise on our assets in Cameroon?
No — they remain the territory of your local advisers, with whom we coordinate. Our added value lies in the French and European portion, and in the coherence of the whole.
ASTERALE is a French firm, registered with ORIAS (no. 23 007 423) and subject to the French authorities (AMF, ACPR). Our support covers the structuring, investment and transmission of the French and European portion of your wealth, in coordination with your local advisers for the remainder. Relationships begin by invitation or referral, in compliance with the applicable French and local regulations.
A first conversation — confidential, without obligation, in French or English, by video call or in Paris.
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