Yes—lead-containing paint was available in a retail sample in Cameroon. In May and June 2023, researchers bought 38 solvent-based paints in Yaoundé and Douala; a report published by IPEN and CREPD in January 2024 found that 12 exceeded Cameroon’s 90 parts-per-million (ppm) limit. That is evidence of sales in those cities during that sampling period, not proof of what is on sale across Africa today or how common lead paint is across the continent.
What the Cameroon paint test found
IPEN and CREPD tested 38 solvent-based paints purchased from shops in Yaoundé and Douala. The samples covered 15 brands from 13 manufacturers: 28 home or decorative paints, seven anticorrosive paints and three aerosol or spray paints.
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| Finding | What the January 2024 IPEN/CREPD report says |
|---|---|
| Above Cameroon’s 90 ppm limit | 12 of 38 samples (32%) exceeded the limit for total lead by dry weight. |
| Above 10,000 ppm | Five of 38 samples (13%) exceeded this level. |
| Highest reported result | 90,000 ppm in a yellow Asmaco spray paint manufactured by Anchor Allied Factory L.L.C. in the United Arab Emirates. |
| Reported as not containing intentionally added lead | 26 of 38 samples (68%) were below the report’s relevant detection or reporting thresholds and were described as not containing intentionally added lead. This does not establish that every sample contained absolutely no lead. |
| Brands with at least one sample above 90 ppm | Seven of the 15 brands tested. |
The results show both non-compliant products and products the report did not identify as containing intentionally added lead. They do not mean that every paint, brand or shop in Cameroon sold lead paint. The sample was limited to solvent-based products bought in two cities, and it cannot be treated as a representative estimate for Cameroon or Africa.
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Does this prove lead paint is being sold across Africa now?
No. The Cameroon purchases took place in 2023, and the report was published in January 2024. They establish that lead-containing paint was available in those sampled retail markets then. The evidence here does not establish which products are currently on shelves in 2026, nor does it provide comparable recent testing for every African country.
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IPEN’s archive includes paint studies from several African countries, including reports for Cameroon and Tanzania in 2024. A study’s existence alone does not show that a product is still available: its sampling date, location, paint types and results all matter. Older results should not be presented as proof of current sales.
Which African countries have banned lead paint?
There is no reconciled, current country-by-country legal inventory established by the evidence available here. Legal status also needs a date: the World Health Organization’s report for its Africa Region recorded 10 countries with lead-paint laws, 34 without, and 10 with unconfirmed status as of 31 March 2023. That is a dated regional snapshot, not a current count for all of Africa.
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Later policy developments were reported. IPEN’s 2024 annual report says South Africa and Nigeria adopted new lead-paint regulations and describes widespread change in West Africa following adoption of an ECOWAS lead-paint ban. LEEP’s 2024 review says Nigeria implemented enforceable regulation in March 2024 after advocacy by SRADev Nigeria. These reports indicate changes after the WHO snapshot; they do not by themselves settle the current legal details for every country or product.
For a country-specific decision, check the current law or official guidance from that country’s regulator. A meaningful comparison should establish the legal limit in ppm, whether it applies to all paints or only specified categories, whether it covers manufacture, import, sale or use, when it took effect, and what testing or enforcement provisions apply. A legal ban and what testing finds in shops are separate questions.
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How can I tell whether paint contains lead?
You cannot determine lead content from the Cameroon findings alone, and the evidence cited here does not establish a reliable consumer test kit for use across African markets. A product’s appearance or the fact that it is new, locally manufactured or sold in a country with a legal limit is not proof of its lead content. The Cameroon study found that results differed among sampled products, including products within the same broader retail market.
For a specific product or painted surface, seek advice from the national environmental or public-health authority, or a laboratory able to test paint for lead. Ask what method and reporting threshold are used and whether the result can be compared with the applicable local limit. Do not treat an unverified home test or an old country study as confirmation that a particular paint is safe.
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Why the issue matters
The United Nations Environment Programme states: “There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe for adults or children.” Decorative paint used inside or outside homes, schools and public or commercial buildings can be a source of exposure. A test result above a local limit is therefore relevant both as a compliance finding and as a potential health concern; a law on the books alone does not demonstrate that all products comply.
What the wider statistics do—and do not—say
The WHO reported that 48% of countries had confirmed legally binding controls on lead paint as of 16 January 2024. Its indicator covers laws, regulations, standards or procedures governing production, import, export, sale or use, based on surveys of national authorities. It is a global figure, not an Africa-only measure, and it records legal controls rather than whether retail paints have been tested or comply.
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Likewise, the WHO Africa Region’s March 2023 legal-status count and IPEN/CREPD’s 2023 Cameroon market sample measure different things: one records reported law status across a region at a particular date; the other measures lead in a small set of products bought in two cities. Neither can substitute for the other.
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