CAMEROON’S INFRASTRUCTURE: A CONTINENTAL PERSPECTIVE

**Figure 9. Port demand in Cameroon**

<!-- Start of picture text --> a. Container volumes<br>250<br>200 190.7<br>150<br>106.2<br>100<br>50<br>0<br>1996 2005<br>thousand TEUs<br><!-- End of picture text --> <!-- Start of picture text --> b. By commodity grouping<br>600 500<br>500<br>400<br>300<br>200 100<br>100 3.8 5<br>0<br>General cargo Dry bulk<br>1995 2006<br>thousand Tonnes<br><!-- End of picture text --> Source: Ocean Shipping Consultants 2009. TEU = 20-foot equivalent units.

Compared to other ports on the west coast of Africa, the Port Douala is one of the most efficient, particularly in handling containers. But still it lags behind the average port in Sub-Saharan Africa. Container crane productivity, at 18.5 containers per hour, was the highest among ports along the west coast in 2005(matched only by the port of Abidjan, which may have deteriorated since with the return of conflict in Côte d’Ivoire), but not even half the Sub-Saharan African average. Container dwell time and truck turnaround time, at 12 days each, are the lowest in the region, versus 7 days for an average port in Sub-Saharan Africa. After Abidjan, the pre-berth waiting time for containers (1.6 hours) is the lowest among ports in this part of Africa. In the other cargo sectors, performance is consistent with the norms for the region and, as such, there is room for significant improvement as the performance of the ports in this part of the continent trails the average for Sub-Saharan Africa port. Further privatization of the customs clearance system and expansion of the port might help improve the performance of the port of Douala.

# **Challenges**

Further implementation of Cameroon’s economic reform program—complementing exploitation of Cameroon’s natural wealth, including its forestry and mining resources (notably bauxite, iron, cobalt, nickel, rutile), natural gas, and hydrocarbon products—will boost growth and increase the demand for port facilities. The capacity of the country’s ports is being stretched as demand for services rises, leading to longer transit times to Chad and the Central African Republic. Overall the four ports in Cameroon have a capacity of close to 7 million tonnes per year; in 2006 they handled in excess of 6 million tonnes of cargo annually—with Douala accounting for over 95 percent of this.<sup>6</sup> The available capacity remaining in the port system is relatively tight, and to a significant extent does not match the requirements of modern shipping. The port of Douala is quickly approaching its available capacity, and none of the other public ports offers a viable alternative, at least in their current form. It is against this background that the formulation of a new national ports master plan that will add modern new port capacity is essential.

Port and cargo-handling costs in the port of Douala are at the higher end of charges paid along the West African coastline, which in turn are higher than elsewhere in Africa. The handling charge is $220 per TEU for containers and $6.5 per tonne of general cargo (table 5). To some extent, though, this must

> 6 Douala is the largest port in terms of volume handled; Kribi is a distant second, followed by the much smaller ports of Limbe and Garoua.

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