Cameroon and Chad signed a new agreement on May 14 in N’Djamena aimed at improving the flow of goods along the Douala-Kribi/N’Djamena trade corridor, one of Central Africa’s most important supply routes for landlocked Chad.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the fifth Chad-Cameroon-Central African Republic tripartite forum, which opened on May 11 in the Chadian capital and focused on improving transit along the trans-Cameroon corridor.
The memorandum was signed by Auguste Mbappe Penda, head of Cameroon’s National Shippers’ Council (CNCC), and Hamid Djoumino, director general of Chad’s Shippers’ Council (COC-Tchad).
According to the CNCC, the agreement is designed to make the corridor linking the ports of Douala and Kribi to N’Djamena more competitive for regional trade.
The measures include linking information systems between the two countries, introducing electronic cargo tracking, simplifying transit procedures, and creating a shared digital platform to monitor operations and process complaints from businesses.
Behind the institutional language, the goal is practical: Cameroon and Chad want to reduce administrative delays, repeated inspections, and informal practices that continue to slow cargo movement along the route.
For freight operators, transport companies, and customs brokers, the value of the agreement will ultimately depend on whether it shortens delivery times, improves cargo traceability, and lowers transport costs between Cameroon’s ports and the Chadian market.
Logistical bottlenecks and abusive controls along the corridor have long been documented in Cameroon’s business press. For Chad, the corridor remains strategically important. As a landlocked country, Chad depends heavily on access to the ports of Douala and Kribi for its international trade, at a time when transport costs and logistics efficiency play a direct role in import prices and supply-chain reliability.
Organizers of the N’Djamena forum described the gathering as an effort to remove barriers affecting transit through Cameroonian corridors used by both Chad and the Central African Republic.
For Cameroon, the stakes are also economic. The government is trying to preserve a transit business that remains critical for its ports, logistics operators, and customs administration, especially as Chad explores alternative routes to diversify its access to the sea.
According to Cameroon customs data cited by Business in Cameroon, transit traffic linked to Chadian imports generates more than CFA350 billion in annual revenue for Cameroon.
The agreement signed in N’Djamena also calls for closer coordination between shippers’ councils, port authorities, and customs administrations in both countries.
The real test, however, will be whether the cooperation produces measurable results for businesses: shorter transit times, lower costs, fewer abusive checks, and more predictable logistics operations.
Frédéric Nonos
