Biya's gov't at war with itself over contract!.

The apple of discord is a contract to scan goods at the Douala port, which is the primary economic lifeline for Cameroon, handling approximately 75% to 95% of national freight and serving as a key transit hub for Chad and the Central African Republic.

It generates over 1,365 billion FCFA in annual gross value added and offers some 166,000 direct and indirect jobs.

According to national media reports, on January 22, 2026, a strategic meeting was held at the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic. It was chaired by the Technical Adviser, Jean Mauger Ayem, where the Port Authority of Douala, PAD, management was informed to replace Société Générale de Surveillance, SGS, with TransAtlantic D S.A, following “High Instructions” emanating directly from the Head of State, Paul Biya.

TransAtlantic D S.A., said to be a local company, was to take over from the Swiss firm, which had been performing the operation since 2015, under a Public-Private Partnership Agreement, with the State of Cameroon.

The new contract is reported to have specified that the Build and Operate, BOT, agreement “encompasses the acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, and upgrading before transfer of eight scanners and all superstructures and operating equipment, for a period of 25 years”.

The scope of the concession "covers all goods passing through the port, both imports and exports, regardless of packaging, in line with the State's general policy on securing borders and national territory", to quote an authoritative source at PAD.

The implementation of a 100% scanning control system is said to come in a context of persistent smuggling and counterfeiting, fueled by a border control system deemed ineffective.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts, CCIMA, the illegal activities cost the State nearly 200 billion FCFA in tax revenue each year.

The 100% scanning system thus pursues a dual objective: firstly, to strengthen the verification of goods at customs checkpoints; and secondly, to enable the collection of revenue proportional to the value of the goods inspected.

The reform comes at a time when government is multiplying its initiatives to replenish public finances, strained by a difficult socio-economic context and security challenges in  the North West, South West and Far North Regions of the country, compounded by post electoral tensions.

But barely a week after the Presidency had endorsed the change, through “Very High Instructions,” the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, at a meeting in Yaounde, last Thursday, January 29, ordered the management of PAD to maintain its contractual relationship with the Société Générale de Surveillance.

During the meeting, attended by the Ministers of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze; Transport, Jean Ernest Ngallé Bibéhè; and Communication René Emmanuel Sadi; the PM banked in a legal position that: the scanning contract is an agreement signed with the government that had not expired.

By ordering the continuation of SGS, the Head of Government reaffirmed the primacy of the signatory of the state over any attempt of change.

Reacting on the issue on CRTV last week, Louis Paul Motaze, said: “I am the Minister of Finance, which means I work every day to bring in money, but I also work…to prevent money from being spent on things that could have been avoided”.

He had added that: "A government has the right to make whatever decisions it wants…it's its absolute right, but…let's do it according to the rules and procedures, that's all…in other words, you have a contract, and it seems to me that some people thought the contract was no longer in effect".

He was echoed by the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Ngallè Bibehè, who explained that the SGS contract runs until 2032. 

“The problem stems from a contract, signed in 2015. This contract has a duration of ten years. But within this contract, it is stipulated that actual operation begins when the fourth container is installed. This fourth container was installed in 2022, which is the date from which the ten years can be counted. Therefore, the contract runs until 2032. However, the Port Authority of Douala considers the contract to have expired. Hence the problem,” Bibehe said. 

He explained further that even if a modification were to be made, for example, integrating another operator, like in this case of TransAtlantic D, it would be the prerogative of the Prime Minister, Head of Government.

Amid the storm of discord surrounding the cargo scanning contract, the Swiss company's equipment was reportedly forcibly removed from the port last Thursday, under the impassive gaze of security operatives. Beyond the legal battle, the economic and security stakes are enormous.

The scanning of goods is a critical link that guarantees not only the security of cargo entering the country, but also the accuracy of customs revenue collected by the treasury. 

Hesitation in the choice of operator, or worse, forced cohabitation or a technical blockage, could lead to massive congestion at terminals, increased port transit costs, and a decline in Cameroon's ranking in international logistics performance assessments.

The debate in the national media has been about who is right. Both parties are right and wrong depending from various perspectives.

How does a government sign a contract in 2015 for 10 years, and it "begins" seven years in 2022, even when the contractor had been operating since 2015?

Now that the deed has been done, what was the way forward? The State needed to have coordinated its actions. Unfortunately, it took its dirty linen to the streets to cleanse.

Whichever way it ends, it has exposed a government no longer at ease with itself, losing both heads and tails in a standoff that could have been avoided. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3691 of Monday February 02, 2026