The award recognizes the effort to equip and operationally clean up the Wouri estuary, aiming to modernize maritime reception infrastructure, digitize customs clearance processes, and take into account environmental sustainability criteria in daily operations.

The consecration is part of the dynamic of structural reforms initiated in 2016 within the public establishment. The investments made over the past 10 years aim to strengthen the fluidity of goods passage on the Douala-Bonaberi platform, a major maritime entry point serving landlocked countries such as Chad and the Central African Republic. The integration of sustainable management approaches allows for higher operating standards, increased port domain performance, and improved competitiveness of logistics services compared to competing infrastructure in the Gulf of Guinea.

Mastery of the port management tool has been achieved through the process of autonomy of operational regimes, including the creation of the Wouri Estuary Dredging Authority and the Container Terminal Authority. The direct management takeover of dredging has saved nearly 150 billion FCFA from the state budget in a decade, while maintaining a guaranteed navigation depth of 9.5 meters at low tide. Meanwhile, commercial flows handled by the port of Douala exceed 12 million tons of goods per year, consolidating the economic metropolis's position as a sub-regional logistics hub. The continental trophy award sanctions the managerial model of valorization of public maritime assets, setting the stage for future investments in the port infrastructure development plan.


BCN

Tags: port autonome douala prix d'or innovation développement durable afrique logistique transport maritime économie