(Business in Cameroon) – Export processing times at the Port of Douala have nearly doubled between 2015 and 2023, increasing from 10.6 days to 21.2 days, according to a report on Cameroon’s economic competitiveness by the Ministry of Economy’s Competitiveness Committee. This rise of nearly 10 days over nine years has raised concerns about the country’s export efficiency.
The Competitiveness Committee did not specify the reasons for the delay. However, the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), which oversees port operations in Cameroon’s economic capital, stated that the timeline for exports depends on how quickly exporters complete necessary procedures once containers are delivered to the terminal.
Some local port operators attribute these delays to multiple factors, including ship availability. “Often, the same ships handle both imports and exports. If the ship hired by the exporter is unavailable on time, it delays the loading of goods,” explained Hamma Toukour Gandi, the executive president of the Group of Maritime Transport Operators and Transport Auxiliaries of Cameroon (Gotram). He also noted that delays in import processing can further affect export schedules, as ships running late on imports are also delayed for export operations.
Another contributing factor is the slow export process due to numerous administrative checks, including customs, tax, and ministry controls. Gandi believes that, without such bottlenecks, exports could be completed within 10 days.
While export delays have worsened, the Competitiveness Committee reports that import processing times at the Port of Douala have significantly improved. From 2015 to 2023, import delays have dropped from 25.6 days to 9.5 days. These improvements are tied to faster customs clearance and tax processing by importers. Cameroon’s customs authority recommends an 11-day clearance period for imported containers at the Port of Douala, where more than 80% of the country’s international trade passes through.
The time ships spend docked is a key performance indicator for ports. According to the 2023 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) published by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, Douala ranked 373rd out of 405 ports worldwide. The port fell six places from the previous year, primarily due to aging infrastructure, which the World Bank linked to operational inefficiencies and frequent delays.
To address these issues and boost competitiveness, the PAD is implementing a plan to triple the port’s capacity by 2050. The plan includes acquiring modern handling equipment. By the end of 2023, the port invested CFA12 billion to purchase eight new yard cranes for the terminal. According to the PAD, these investments have expanded terminal storage capacity, sped up container delivery and reception cycles, and improved vessel operations. These upgrades have reportedly cut import processing times to nearly six days.
