(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon-based petroleum company Tradex is preparing to enter the Democratic Republic of Congo’s market, with its first retail outlets scheduled to open in 2026, according to a company source.
The new subsidiary, Tradex Democratic Republic of Congo, has a share capital of 2.5 billion CFA francs and is led by Philippe Attang Atomb Bekondj, who was appointed director at the first board meeting on November 26, 2024, in Kinshasa. The group is targeting a market estimated at nearly $1 billion for fuel sales alone, in addition to an estimated $600 million to $700 million in petroleum products imported by mining operators. The sector is currently dominated by international players like Engen Petroleum, TotalEnergies, and Cobil. To secure its market position, Tradex aims to operate across the key parts of the downstream petroleum value chain.
The expansion into the DRC is a core part of the group’s regional strategy. Since establishing its first international presence in Chad in 2004, the company has built a modest network of three service stations in N’Djamena, with plans to expand into other major and secondary cities in 2026. In the Central African Republic, Tradex took over half of the network previously operated by Transoil in 2006, acquiring 22 stations. It currently operates nine of them in Bangui, Yaloke, and Damara, with the reopening of the remaining stations contingent on the security situation. The company also entered Equatorial Guinea in 2019 and now operates 10 stations across Malabo, Bata, and Mongomo after inaugurating its first outlet there in 2021.
With this progressive rollout, Tradex projects it will have a total of 112 operational service stations across Central Africa by the end of 2025, directly employing nearly 1,680 people.
Amina Malloum
