(Business in Cameroon) – On September 30, Cyrus Ngo’o, the director general of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), and Kumar Mohan, the regional representative for Central Africa at Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), signed a partnership agreement to build a 500-hectare industrial zone along the Dibamba River in Missolé 1. This area is located about ten kilometers from Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, along the national road 3 (Douala-Yaoundé).
The project will include a 350-hectare industrial-port zone, which will feature agro-industrial units, a timber park, and a fishing port. Additionally, there will be a 100-hectare logistics zone adjacent to the industrial area and a 50-hectare residential space. According to the agreement, project companies will be created, each responsible for developing a specific component of the project.
To manage the multimodal logistics zone, a company called Dibamba Douala Port Logistics Platform (DDLP) will be formed, with PAD and Arise IIP as co-shareholders. For the integrated industrial platform, Arise IIP will establish a wholly-owned project company responsible for designing, financing, developing, managing, and maintaining this platform.
Additional components, like the residential area, can be developed based on specific agreements, as noted in the contract. This project, which is based on a memorandum of understanding signed between PAD and Arise IIP last March, will operate under a public-private partnership (PPP) model for 12 years. Arise IIP will fully finance the project, with a budget of CFA230 billion, excluding taxes, and it will be carried out in two connected phases. The first phase will focus on developing the multimodal logistics zone for CFA160 billion, while the second phase will cover the integrated industrial platform at a cost of CFA70 billion.
Funding for the project will come from leasing parcels of land and charging for services provided to users and investors in the area. PAD will collect usage fees for occupying the public port domain. For the multimodal logistics zone, PAD will also receive a fixed fee and a variable fee, as detailed in the business plan. The port authority will charge a fixed fee based on the occupied parcels for the integrated industrial platform.
According to PAD, this project could create around 500,000 direct and indirect jobs. It aims to establish an industrial ecosystem and a connected multimodal hub that links the Douala port to the surrounding areas via the Dibamba River and rail connections. Joseph Nguene Nteppe, head of analysis and cooperation at PAD, stated, “This project aims to address the current economic and logistical challenges facing the Douala port.”
Environmental impact studies are expected to be completed by December, with financial closure set for March 2025, and construction starting in December 2025. Arise IIP is a subsidiary of the Arise group, a pan-African developer and operator of industrial parks. The group, owned by Indian billionaire Gagan Gupta and based in Dubai, has already developed industrial zones in Africa, including in Gabon, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
“Our industrial zones in Côte d’Ivoire and Chad are under development and will mainly focus on processing local agricultural products,” the group explained.
