(Business in Cameroon) - The Container Terminal Authority (RTC) of the port of Douala reported it has invested over CFA44 billion (about $76 million) between 2020 and 2023 to upgrade its services and enhance performance. The figure was made public during a press conference held at the Promote 2024, a business fair organized in Yaoundé last February 17-25.

Lin Dieudonné Onana Ndoh, MD of RTC, highlighted that this investment volume in just four years surpasses the CFA43.4 billion invested by Douala International Terminal (DIT), the former concessionaire, over fifteen years. Officials of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD) detailed that major investments since taking over container terminal management from DIT included the acquisition of essential software for terminal operations, modern handling equipment such as quay cranes, yard gantries, port tractors, and utility vehicles; the reconstruction of nearly 16,000 m² of storage area; the rebuilding of gantry crane tracks; the adoption of 4G LTE communication technology; and the reconfiguration of the container yard management system.

As a result, RTC's revenue has been "consistently growing" since it commenced operations in 2020. Revenue rose from CFA49.9 billion in 2020 to CFA57.1 billion in 2023, after CFA56.9 billion in 2021 and CFA54.3 billion in 2022. RTC explains that the impacts of COVID-19 and financial laws made 2022 a turning point, but with China's reopening, an uptick in imports has been observed in 2023.

It's noteworthy that PAD launched RTC in 2020 to ensure the continued operation of Douala's container terminal after the end of a 15-year concession granted to DIT, a joint venture by logistics giants Bolloré and Maersk. The transition has been marked by controversy, as DIT shareholders continue to challenge the designation process of the new concessionaire. The latter is Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of the Swiss-Italian group MSC, which recently acquired all the Bolloré Group's African logistics assets.