(Business in Cameroon) – On April 29, 2025, Cameroon’s interim Minister of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development visited the future site of a bitumen production plant in the Kribi industrial-port zone, in the country’s South region.
The project is being led by All Bitumen Plc, a Cameroonian company. Its CEO, Ahmadou Oumarou, said the minister Fuh Calistus Gentry, who also chairs the interministerial committee overseeing the initiative, reaffirmed the government’s full support for the plant.
“The minister reassured us that his door remains open. He stressed that his mission is to support investors, especially those with mature projects and strong potential,” said Oumarou.
On the ground, the minister observed early work carried out by the Chinese firm CHEC, which began clearing the 60-hectare site on March 20, 2025. CHEC was hired by All Bitumen Plc to prepare the land. General earthworks will follow, with construction expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The plant, which will cost an estimated CFA161 billion, is expected to be partly financed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). In late 2024, the bank signed a mandate with All Bitumen Plc to serve as lead arranger. This role gives Afreximbank the ability to fund part of the project directly and to bring in additional partners.
The facility will produce 250,000 tons of bitumen per year and will include a mini oil refinery capable of processing 10,000 barrels per day. The refinery will supply the raw material for the plant.
Once operational, the plant is expected to reduce road construction costs in Cameroon by up to 30%, according to estimates from civil engineering experts. The project is also projected to create between 300 and 400 direct jobs and about 1,500 indirect jobs.
