(Business in Cameroon) – The Douala Port Container Terminal Operator (RTC) paid CFA89.2 billion in fees to the Port Authority (PAD) between 2020 and 2024, Lin Dieudonné Onana Ndoh, RTC’s Deputy Director, reported yesterday during a press conference.
Since the RTC began operating in 2020, the fees collected by PAD from the container terminal have steadily increased: CFA15.7 billion in 2020, CFA16.5 billion in 2021, CFA17.9 billion in 2022, CFA19.1 billion in 2023, and CFA20 billion in 2024. This marks a 27.3% growth over five years.
According to Lin Dieudonné Onana Ndoh, these payments are more than four times higher than what the previous concessionaire, Douala International Terminal (DIT), paid. DIT, a joint venture by Bolloré and Maersk logistics groups, paid only CFA4.6 billion in 2019, its final year managing the terminal.
RTC also highlighted its achievements in container handling. The volume processed increased from 320,000 tons in 2020 to nearly 380,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024. This was made possible by investing CFA12 billion in eight new RTG mobile gantry cranes. Other improvements included rebuilding 16,000 square meters of container storage space, repairing crane pathways, adopting LTE 4G communication technology, and optimizing the container yard management system.
RTC invested over CFA44 billion of its own funds in five years—more than the CFA43.4 billion DIT invested over 15 years. These investments reduced ship processing times at the terminal. Lin Dieudonné Onana Ndoh stated that ship processing times dropped from about 10 days to five days, with no vessel waiting time due to the terminal.
RTC’s revenue has grown steadily since 2020. Official figures show revenue rose from CFA49.9 billion in 2020 to CFA61 billion in 2024, with annual totals of CFA56.9 billion in 2021, CFA54.3 billion in 2022, and CFA57.1 billion in 2023.
