Gabon went into the game knowing they had to win to guarantee their qualification from Group A but are now out of the competition after three draws.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a golden opportunity in the first half and the host hit the post in the final minutes but couldn’t get the goal to book a place in the knock-out stages.
The home fans nearly went into frenzy in stoppage time after Denis Bouanga struck the post and then Didier Ndong’s follow-up effort was brilliantly saved by Cameroon’s goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa.
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“We chased the win from the start but we never really had a chance to win. I’m sorry for the Gabonese people,” said Gabon’s Spanish coach, José Antonio Camacho.
Gabon becomes the first host nation since Tunisia 1994 to bow out of the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON).
Burkina Faso are the other quarter-finalists from the group after they beat debutants Guinea-Bissau 2-0, a result which put them top of the table above Cameroon on goal difference.