This infrastructure will boost the socio-economic development of the city.

The site retained for the construction of the Ngaoundéré dry port is located in the Beka-Matari district, close to the railway line and some 13 km from the city centre. The area covers 200 hectares and adjoins the Adamawa customs sector. Eventually, it will be a hub in Central Africa which will promote intra-African trade and facilitate trade on the continent. This logistics platform offers different port services: handling, storage, transhipment of maritime cargo to inland destinations. Speaking to parliamentarians during the March 2022 session, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, Minister of Transport, acknowledged that the tender file is under review at the Prime Minister's Office. 

The geographical position of the city of Ngaoundéré, hinged between the southern part of Cameroon, on the Douala-N’djamena corridor and its proximity to the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Chad predispose it to play a leading role in the development of the national and sub-regional economic fabric. According to Prof. Michel Tchotsoua, besides aiding in the transhipment of cargo, dry ports can also provide storage and consolidation facilities for goods, maintenance centres for road and rail transporters, and customs clearance services. The placement of such facilities at a dry port saves storage space and customs services at the seaport itself.

In addition to this geographical advantage, the existence of the Douala-Ngaoundéré railway line adds to the importance of this fast-growing city. The dry port comes to consolidate Ngaoundéré's position as a transport hub in Cameroon. A catalyst for the socio-economic development of the city. The port is a catalyst for the socio-economic development of the city and shall create jobs for many youths since shops, boutiques, restaurants and hotels will follow.

The project was adopted at the joint inter-ministerial consultation meeting held from 27 to 29 May 2015, co-chaired by the Ministers of Transport of Cameroon and Chad's minister of Transport Infrastructure and Civil Aviation.

Source: Cameroon Business Today, April 20, 2022