Douala Port Authority seals financing agreements for expansion project.

The event was chaired by the Director General, DG, of PAD, Cyrus Ngo’o. This was in the presence of officials of the project company, Africa Ports Development, APD.

Also present were; the president of the Cameroon Shippers Council, Auguste Mbappe Penda; representatives of project execution companies such as NEGRI; financial institutions such as the Karam Trading Holding Group, KTH, and representatives of the pan-African financial institution, AFG Bank, the main lender.

According to PAD DG, the estimated cost of the project is 336 billion FCFA. He said the project marks a new stage in the modernisation of the port of Douala-Bonaberi. 

By finalising the financing accords, Cyrus Ngo’o said PAD is reaffirming its ambition to position the Douala-Bonaberi port as a referenced logistics hub across Central Africa.

"By modernising its infrastructure, the Port Authority of Douala intends to strengthen its strategic position in the Gulf of Guinea,” he added, noting that the “project aims to increase vessel capacity, reduce processing times, and improve the quality of port services”. 

The DG said the project “…will also contribute to accelerating intra-African trade by offering landlocked countries a more efficient and competitive logistics alternative”.  

“This mixed bulk terminal is thus part of a broader vision of economic development and regional integration, in a context where maritime transport remains a crucial driver of growth," he added. 

The Chief of Analysis, Prospectives and Corporates at PAD, Joseph Nguene Nteppe, said the project is part of the most important part of the Corporation’s 2020-2050 development master plan.

Nteppe explained that it responds to the gradual desaturation of the current port area and aims to relieve congestion at existing facilities while anticipating the growth of industrial and logistics activities in the Bonaberi area.

The same official recalled that PAD’s master plan, was crafted following a 2011 presidential promise of President Paul Biya to make the Douala Port in Bonaberi more competitive in the Sub region. 

When completed, Ntepped said the project will be "best logistic solution to the industrial zone of Bonaberi, with capacity of creating some 2000 direct employment”.

The General Manager, GM, of African Port Development, Wissan Dakour El Aridi, appreciated the clairvoyance of the Head State in choosing competent persons like Cyrus Ngo'o to head an institution like PAD.

Expansion project highest undertaken by PAD 

The first phase of the 336 billion FCFA project which is 97 billion FCFA, Wissan Dakour remarked, has already been secured. The money, he noted, marked the operational start of the project.

The financing, he remarked, was structured by AFG Bank, in collaboration with several other local financial institutions, including CCA Bank. 

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AFG Bank Group, Kofi Leon, said the deal is on a Build, Operate, and Transfer, BOT, basis through Public-Private Partnership, PPP.

Through the approach, Kofi added that PAD is making use of the skills and financial resources of the private sector to accelerate the modernization of its infrastructure without directly requesting the State budget. Kofi underscored that international guidelines are respected in mobilising the finances.

Strategic infrastructure, architectural jewel 

Officials said the first phase of the project will involve the construction of 900 linear meters of quays, including quays 53 and 54, as well as the development of a bulk terminal on 12 hectares. This is out of the 36 planned. 

It was also explained that the new infrastructure will include a 4,000 m² administrative building; 3,000 m² storage warehouse; 3,250 m² workshop; series of storage silos with a capacity of 120,000 tonnes, as well as equipment necessary for port handling. 

Delivery of the first quay is expected by 2028, it was said. Ultimately, the terminal, it was said, will mainly serve bulk minerals and agri-food, meeting the growing logistics needs of the Bonabéri industrial zone and the countries of the sub-region.

Key technical partners mobilized

The project's success, Wissan Dakour, said also depends on the quality of the selected technical partners. He said companies like The SOMAGEC or Jean Negri consortium will oversee the maritime works. He added that SEG Contracting will be responsible for the land-based infrastructure and buildings.

Wissan added that WITHSTEEL will handle the steel construction while DHL Global Forwarding will handle logistics operations. The said companies, he said, are renowned for their international expertise and will deliver work that meets global standards.

Setting stage for laying of the foundation stone

Following the ceremony, the Director General of APD requested that the official foundation stone-laying ceremony will be organised in the coming days.

The activity, he noted, will be a new milestone in the ambitious adventure of PAD that ties with the country’s development.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3459 of Friday May 30, 2025