(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroonian fuel distributor Tradex plans to expand its national network, with a delegation visiting Mora, the administrative center of the Mayo-Sava Division in the Far North Region, on Wednesday.
The mission, led by General Manager Emmanuel Patrick Mvondo, sought to assess prospects for establishing a new service station in the area. According to an official Tradex statement, discussions with Mayor Chetima Hamidou focused on investment opportunities and the expansion of the Tradex network in the Mora district.
Hamidou, a former high-school principal and one-time executive at the National Refining Company (Sonara), expressed strong interest in the project, citing his familiarity with the hydrocarbons sector. Tradex described the talks as fruitful, adding that “plans to establish operations in Mora as part of its expansion in the Far North.”
A subsidiary of the National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH), Tradex is one of Cameroon’s main players in fuel distribution. Founded in 1999, the firm currently operates 83 service stations across the country. Its footprint in the Far North remains limited, however, with only three sites: two in Maroua, the regional capital, and one in Kaélé.
The planned expansion serves two main goals. First, Tradex wants to improve fuel access in this landlocked region, where shortages are common because of the distance from supply depots. Second, the company aims to tap into the economic potential of the road corridor connecting Cameroon with Nigeria and Chad, one of the busiest trade routes in the Lake Chad Basin.
Yet this promising but challenging market faces stiff competition from smuggled fuel from Nigeria, often sold at lower prices than in the official market. For Tradex, the task will be to balance competitiveness, supply reliability, and customer proximity to secure a lasting position in this strategic and complex region.
Ludovic Amara
