(Business in Cameroon) – Between 2018 and 2024, Cameroon launched or accelerated several major transport projects aimed at strengthening its role as a Central African logistics hub and improving access to key production areas. The main efforts targeted the Kribi Deep Sea Port, the road and rail networks, and airport infrastructure, though many projects remain incomplete.
Kribi Port Advances, Road Network Expands
The Kribi Deep Sea Port remains the flagship project. Opened on March 2, 2018, under a 25-year concession, it handled 1.2 million TEUs in 2023, or roughly 80% of its theoretical capacity of 1.5 million TEUs. This makes Kribi Cameroon’s main seaport, serving markets as far as Chad, the Central African Republic, and northern Congo. However, the government has yet to publish data on the population served or the customs revenue generated since 2018, making it difficult to gauge the port’s full economic impact.
Between 2018 and 2023, about 2,136 kilometers of roads were built or rehabilitated, according to the Directorate of Major Works
Between 2018 and 2023, about 2,136 kilometers of roads were built or rehabilitated, according to the Directorate of Major Works. The 195-kilometer Yaoundé-Douala expressway remains under construction, with roughly two-thirds still unpaved at the end of 2024. Once completed, it is expected to cut travel time between the two cities from four hours to two and a half. Regionally, 72 kilometers of the Sangmélima-Ouesso road were paved in 2022, while 60 kilometers of the Kousséri-N’Djamena corridor were rehabilitated with funding from the African Development Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). The economic impact of these cross-border improvements has not yet been measured.
Rail Delays, Airport Upgrades Underway
The rail sector launched two major projects, neither completed by 2024. The rehabilitation of the Douala–Yaoundé line, backed by a 600 billion CFA franc Chinese loan signed in 2022, had yet to start by the end of 2024. Likewise, a 550-kilometer extension eastward from Yaoundé to Bangui via Bélabo, financed by AFD, reached only the feasibility stage by late 2023, with no construction begun.
In Douala, a new cargo terminal inaugurated in April 2023 doubled handling capacity and contributed to a 30% rise in freight traffic between 2018 and 2024, according to Aéroports du Cameroun.
Airports have undergone major but incomplete upgrades. At Yaoundé-Nsimalen, a 600-meter runway extension and a new terminal with an annual capacity of 1.5 million passengers are under construction, scheduled for delivery in 2026. In Douala, a new cargo terminal inaugurated in April 2023 doubled handling capacity and contributed to a 30% rise in freight traffic between 2018 and 2024, according to Aéroports du Cameroun.
Urban Transit and Secondary Port Projects
In Douala, an experimental first phase of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system launched in February 2024, with 20 kilometers of dedicated lanes carrying about 18,000 passengers a day, well below the initial projection of 50,000.
The secondary ports of Douala, Limbé, and Campo received new equipment to boost handling capacity, though no official specialization has yet been assigned. On inland waterways, a pilot program launched between 2022 and 2023 introduced barges along a 40-kilometer stretch of the Sanaga and Wouri rivers, but regular operations have yet to begin.
Road safety also improved thanks to new signage and monitoring posts. The National Road Safety Committee reported a 10% decline in fatal accidents between 2018 and 2023, slightly below its 15% target. In addition, 365 kilometers of roads are now maintained by specialized teams under a preventive maintenance program launched in 2022.
