Kribi port at 15: has Cameroon’s Chinese-built gamble paid off?

Fifteen years ago, Mboro, on the outskirts of Kribi in southern Cameroon, was little more than an isolated fishing village, its handful of homes linked by narrow, winding dirt tracks.

Today, that same stretch of coastline hosts one of Central Africa’s most advanced deep-water ports, while the surrounding area is being reshaped by a fast-growing industrial and logistics economy.

Since the 1970s, Cameroon had dreamed of building a deep-water port to complement Douala, the country’s main harbour, which sits in a shallow estuary that cannot accommodate large vessels. That long-delayed vision finally took shape with the completion of the first and second phases of the Kribi deep-water port.

A city looking to the future

Gu Gaobai was among the first Chinese workers to arrive in 2011 with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the firm tasked with building the Kribi deep-water port.

“When we headed to the project site, we struggled along narrow dirt tracks. At the chosen spot, all we could see was a small sandy beach and a few reefs. Back then, those reefs were the only landmarks to locate the future port,” recalled Gu Gaobai, now CHEC’s general manager of projects in Cameroon.

The transformation is visible along the roads leading to the port. A narrow track has given way to a dual-carriageway with a pedestrian passage in the middle. New buildings, shops and public facilities have sprung up with the rise in economic activity. For Jean-Kalvin Assembe, a 50-year-old local resident, these changes are felt in daily life. “I am happy and fulfilled in this city,” he said.

The influx of workers and businesses has created more opportunities for locals and helped support household incomes. “Even small neighbourhood shops now have customers. It really brings positive change,” he noted.

Apartment blocks, hospitals, universities and shopping centres now dot Kribi. Streetlights illuminate roads once plunged into darkness, while the port area remains brightly lit after nightfall.

Truck drivers are also among those who have benefited from the port’s development. Long queues of lorries form daily in the port zone.

“The port gave us the chance to discover the region,” said Yaya Aboubakar, 68, a veteran driver who has crisscrossed four Central African countries. “Kribi made things easier for us. The service is also fast.”

“Many clients and experts who know China often say Kribi is Cameroon’s Shenzhen, a ‘city of the future’,” Gu Gaobai said.

A hub for industrialisation and regional integration

As the port has grown, so has its industrial zone.

Patrick Mpila Ayissi, head of infrastructure at the Kribi Port Industrial Zone, said investment in the area has accelerated since operations began in 2018. “Since 2018, industrial operators have invested nearly 400 billion CFA francs (about $700 million), and 93 occupancy permits have been issued, while 18 companies are already operational,” he said.

The ambition has expanded from an initial 455-hectare logistics zone to an integrated 4,000-hectare industrial zone, he added.

According to Ayissi, the zone is expected to attract nearly $900 million in investment and create 50,000 direct jobs, with up to 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in total over the next 15 years. The port has also become a strategic platform for Central Africa, serving markets in neighbouring countries.

“Container traffic has quadrupled since 2018, exceeding 555,000 TEUs in 2025, while total cargo volume surpassed 12.7 million tonnes in 2024,” Ayissi said.

Trade already flows from Kribi to Gabon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Equatorial Guinea, he said, adding that the port’s regional connections have been strengthened by shipping lines such as MSC.

To support the growing logistics network, CHEC also built the Kribi-Lolabé road. “This road links the Kribi deep-water port to major cities in the country, facilitating the movement of people and goods, and thus contributing to Cameroon’s industrialisation,” explained Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works.

Skills that change lives

The port’s transformation is also reflected in the career paths of local workers. In 2013, Ngatugirius Ndenya left his job as a welder in Yaoundé to join CHEC in Kribi. “When I arrived here in 2013, the early days were very hard for me,” said the 53-year-old. CHEC adopted a method of pairing Cameroonian workers with experienced Chinese colleagues, allowing them to gain hands-on experience before taking on certain tasks themselves.

“Before coming here, I was just a platform welder. But now I can do everything in welding,” Ndenya explained. “The young people who came here were not technicians, but today they are.”

For some workers, the port has transformed their living conditions. “When I arrived here, I had absolutely nothing. I had left a job where I earned maybe 100,000 CFA francs a month,” said Armand Guehoada, now in charge of commercial affairs at CHEC. “After a while, I was able to buy a vehicle. Today, I’m on my third. I can easily provide for my family,” he added.

“Over the past 15 years, we have trained a large number of local professionals in port construction and major project engineering. Many of those who worked on the port are now contributing to the development of the nearby industrial zone,” Gu Gaobai stressed.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cameroon, while the Kribi deep-water port celebrates 15 years since construction began.

“Kribi remains a visible symbol of cooperation between Cameroon and China. Its development has relied from the outset on concessional financing from Chinese institutions, which reflects a truly long-term partnership,” said Patrick Mpila Ayissi.

For Patrice Melom, general manager of the Kribi Port Authority, the port’s development has opened new prospects for the city and the country.

“The future of the Kribi port is promising, with concrete results and extremely positive prospects. It is now up to us to mobilise all our energies to make this infrastructure a true engine of sustainable growth, serving national prosperity and sub-regional integration,” he said.

By Pierre Tchuente — Security and Policy Analyst