Mineral water: SEMC profit plunges 84% despite nearly stable sales

The Société des eaux minérales du Cameroun (SEMC), producer of the Tangui and Vitale brands, saw first-half 2026 net profit plunge 84% to 105.7 million CFA francs, from 660.3 million a year earlier. Revenue slipped only 2.2% to 5.5 billion CFA francs, while operating profit fell 70.4% to 291.3 million. The operating margin dropped from 17.5% to 5.3%, and the net margin from 11.74% to 1.92%. SEMC attributed the decline mainly to higher maintenance and servicing expenses, including multi-year maintenance work on its packaging lines.