Makoun was named by Otto Pfister in Cameroon's squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Though he played three times in the tournament, Makoun was placed on the substitute bench for the other three matches, including the final, which Cameroon lost 1–0 against Egypt, having lost to them in the opening game of the tournament. Later in the year, he scored his first Cameroon goal, in a 5–0 win against Mauritius on 10 October 2008. A year later, Makoun added two more goals against Gabon and Togo. A month later, he later helped Cameroon qualify for the next year World Cup after beating Morocco 2–0.