(Business in Cameroon) – From January 1, 2026, cargo scanning operations at the port of Douala will be handled by Transatlantic DSA, according to a letter sent on December 9, 2025, by Cyrus Ngo’o, chief executive of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), to the secretary general of the national port community.
Transatlantic DSA will replace Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), which has provided scanning services at the port since 2015 under a public-private partnership agreement with the Cameroonian state. Financial terms of the new contract have not been disclosed.
Ngo’o said the agreement is structured as a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract covering the acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, and upgrading of eight scanners, as well as all related infrastructure and operating equipment. The concession is set to run for 25 years, after which the assets will be transferred back to the port authority.
The scope of the concession covers all cargo passing through the port of Douala, for both imports and exports and regardless of packaging method. The arrangement is aligned with the state’s broader policy on border security and national territory protection, Ngo’o said.
The move toward a 100% scanning system comes amid persistent smuggling and counterfeiting, problems widely attributed to weaknesses in border control mechanisms. According to the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts (CCIMA), these activities cost the state close to CFA200 billion in lost tax revenue each year.
The full-scanning system is designed to meet two main objectives: strengthening customs inspections at control points and improving revenue collection in proportion to the value of goods scanned. The reform is part of a broader push by public authorities to shore up public finances, strained by a difficult socio-economic environment and ongoing security challenges in parts of the country.
Transatlantic already operates in Cameroon’s port sector through a concession agreement with the Kribi Port Authority, signed on November 30, 2019, covering the operation and maintenance of scanning equipment. With the addition of the Douala contract, the company further expands its footprint in the country’s port infrastructure, with a focus on increasing customs revenues.
BRM
