The General Manager of the Cameroon National Shippers' Council (CNSC), Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, presided over a consultation meeting following the strike action called on 14 October 2024 by the Syndicat National des Sociétés de Traitement, d'Hygiène, d'Assainissement et des Revendeurs du Matériel Phytosanitaire (SYNTHAR-PHYTO) in protest against the 700 CFA francs fee per tonne or cubic metre recently introduced by the Port Authority of Douala.

The meeting held on 12 November 2024 in the CNSC training hall provided an opportunity for all sector players including shippers, the National Ports Authority (NPA), the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), trade unionists, etc. to share their views on the strike action which has crippled exports at the Douala port for several days.

Three key recommendations emerged from the discussions, including the calling off of the strike, the suspension of the new measure through an official correspondence from PAD to MINADER, and the scheduling of a consultation meeting between PAD and the different trade unions involved in the phytosanitary treatment of goods. The purpose of such a meeting will be to agree on an applicable fee before the end of the year 2024.

This initiative by CNSC's General Manager to resolve the strike was warmly applauded by participants at the end of the meeting. The Secretary General of the SYNSTHAR-PHYTO trade union, Mr. Didier Baleguel, reassured everyone that measures would be taken as of Tuesday 12 November 2024 to call off the strike.