Cameroon is accelerating efforts to strengthen its position as the main maritime gateway for Chad and the Central African Republic, with Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibéhè using the 5th Tripartite Forum Chad-Cameroon-RCA in N’Djamena to showcase new logistics infrastructure, port reforms and transit facilitation measures aimed at boosting sub-regional trade flows.
The forum, held from May 11 to 13, in the Chadian capital, brought together transport ministers, port authorities, customs officials and logistics operators from the three countries to examine ways of improving the competitiveness, security and fluidity of the Transcameroonian corridor linking the ports of Douala and Kribi to N’Djamena and Bangui.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Ngallè Bibéhè visited the representation office of the Port Authority of Douala in N’Djamena and the CNCC Centre Vie logistics facility in Kousseri, accompanied by officials from Cameroon and Chad, including Cyrus Ngo’o, Auguste Mbappe Penda and representatives of the Port Authority of Kribi and COC Tchad.
The visits formed part of Cameroon’s efforts to consolidate trade relations with Chad and the Central African Republic, two landlocked countries that depend heavily on Cameroonian ports and transport corridors for imports and exports.
The representation office of the Port Authority of Douala in N’Djamena, established in 2016, serves as a liaison platform for freight forwarders, customs agents and transport operators handling cargo through Douala-Bonabéri port. Officials said the office supports logistics coordination and promotes the services offered by Cameroonian port infrastructure to Chadian operators.
Port integration and transit reforms
During his address at the forum, Ngallè Bibéhè outlined measures implemented by Cameroon to improve cargo handling and reduce transit constraints on regional corridors. He cited the harmonisation of procedures between the ports of Douala and Kribi, the expansion of the Douala container terminal and the second phase development of the Kribi deep seaport as part of efforts to increase cargo capacity and improve the treatment of transit goods.
“It is evident that the dynamic driven by these three brotherly countries, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad, is encouraging and will intensify further. We are pleased with the progress observed since the beginning of the Tripartite Forum, reflected through a broader awareness of the challenges linked to the transit of goods and through measures aimed at easing procedures,” Ngallè Bibéhè said.
The minister also referred to reforms affecting transit operations, including a 50 per cent reduction in GPS beacon charges for cargo monitoring, the use of tracking systems for freight movement and discussions on transport accreditation within the CEMAC zone. Officials at the forum said the reforms are intended to reduce delays affecting cargo movement between Central African markets and Cameroon’s maritime gateways.
At the CNCC Centre Vie in Kousseri, inaugurated in September 2023, the Cameroonian delegation reviewed facilities designed to support cross-border transport operations. The site includes a secured parking area, cargo tracking services, administrative facilities and accommodation for drivers operating along the Cameroon-Chad corridor.
“Much remains to be done in terms of improving the fluidity of transit operations on the corridors, particularly at the ports of Douala and Kribi. At this stage, the port authorities have been instructed to pay particular attention to discussions on the remaining difficulties affecting the transit of goods between our States,” the minister said.
Ngallè Bibéhè also said discussions during the forum would focus on easing procedures and improving security measures along the corridors.
“I do not doubt that, during the workshops scheduled throughout this forum, deeper reflection on measures aimed at resolving these difficulties and easing procedures will remain at the centre of discussions,” he said.
The forum follows commitments adopted during the previous edition held in Kribi in January 2024 and includes technical discussions on customs coordination, cargo transit, logistics governance and regional transport integration between Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic.
Mercy Fosoh
