Signing of an agreement to modernise the Douala-Bonabéri fishing port

The Managing Director of the Port Autonome de Douala, Cyrus Ngo’o, and the Managing Director of the Douala Port Fishing Terminal project company, Moraud Zambo, recently signed an agreement to modernise the Douala-Bonabéri fishing port.

This DBFOM (Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain) agreement, also known as BOT (Build-Operate and Transfer), represents a major step towards providing the Port of Douala-Bonabéri with a modern fishing terminal. The project aims to improve the processing and conservation of fish products and control of the port cold chain, in line with international norms and standards in this area.

The modernisation project will be carried out in two distinct phases:

Phase 1: South zone of the terminal: This phase includes the construction of a multifunctional cold storage building, comprising cold storage warehouses and cold chambers, as well as a cold container yard, a new 100-metre long quay and adjoining medians.

Phase 2: North zone of the terminal: The north zone of the terminal will house cold stores and cold rooms, a sorting, processing, packaging and preservation centre, an ice factory, a fishmeal factory, sales halls, a multifunctional administrative building with a public restaurant, as well as a wastewater pre-treatment unit, etc.

The agreement will run for a total of 5 years, including the study, design and construction period, followed by 25 years of operation. One of the key clauses of this agreement relates to the promotion of training and professional integration of young Cameroonian graduates and apprentices. The project undertakes to create 500 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs, thereby making a significant contribution to local economic development.

The rehabilitation and modernisation of the fishing port is one of the priority projects included in the Douala-Bonabéri Port Development Master Plan, as part of the ambitious programme to renovate and modernise port facilities and equipment.