By Ndumbe Bell Gaston in Douala
The Port Authority of Douala (PAD) is faced with many infrastructural problems to attract more port investors but the senior management headed by Cyrus Ngo’o is actively seeking solutions to reverse the trend.
The result was the signing of a 3-year partnership contract with the President of the Support Council for the Implementation of Partnership Contracts (CARPA), Dieudonné Bondoma Yokono, to work together to attract especially private investments within the port’s jurisdiction.
According to the agreement that PAD signed with CARPA, it is reported that this facilitator of establishing public-private partnership (PPP) in different economic sectors, will closely assist to identify and attract partners “to invest in port infra-structure with a view to increasing its structural capacities and operational performance”.
The main objective, specifies a readout, is to “renovate and modernise its installations and equipment” but major hindrances were identified to stall its growth.
A follow-up mechanism ought to evaluate and ensure that the stage by stage objectives were being met. Basic infrastructures such as docks, cranes, handling equipment, access roads and storage areas have aged and some of them nearly obsolete, we learnt. This state of affairs thwarts the current and increasing pressures of international trade, making it less competitive.
However, Cyrus Ngo’o a man of foresight intends to increase the port’s capacity from 13 million to 45 million tonnes by 2050.