The Maka or Makaa are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting the southern rain forest zone of Cameroon.

The Maka and related speakers of Makaa–Njem languages entered present-day Cameroon from the Congo River basin or modern Chad between the 14th and 17th centuries.

By the 19th century, they inhabited the lands north of the Lom River in the border region between the present-day East and Adamawa Provinces.

Not long thereafter, however, the Beti-Pahuin peoples invaded these areas under pressure from the Vute and Mbum, themselves fleeing Fulani (Fula) warriors.

Either through force or diplomacy, the newcomers enlisted the Baka as guides, and they founded a series of new settlements, including Bung-Ngwang ("bathing area in the Nyong River") and Mess'a Mena ("crossroads") – later renamed Abong-Mbang and Messaména.

This sentiment manifested most recently in the 2004 presidential election when the incumbent, Paul Biya, failed to carry the town of Abong-Mbang.

Major crops include manioc, plantains, and maize, with bananas, cocoyams, groundnuts, and various fruits raised in smaller quantities.

A smaller number of Maka have obtained financial success in the cocoa and coffee plantations of Cameroon's forest region.

The traditional Maka house is a rectangular structure made of mud bricks held together by a bamboo frame.