The Representation of the Port Authority of Kribi (PAK) was officially inaugurated on Friday 7 July 2023 in Douala. The well-attended event saw the presence of the economic capital’s administrative, economic and political elite. In the front row was Samuel Dieudonné IVAHA DIBOUA, Governor of the Littoral Region, who came to give Patrice MELOM, PAK’s General Manager, the blessing of the public authorities. In attendance were a large number of senior executives from companies and organisations both within and outside the port sector. They included Louis EBOUPEKE, General Manager of the National Port Authority (APN); Cyrus NGO’O, the General Manager of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD); Auguste MBAPPE PENDA from the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNCC); HAROUNA BAKO, recently appointed head of COTCO; Célestin TAWAMBA, President of GICAM, to name but a few.

In his introductory remarks, Patrice MELOM explained that the first objective of opening a representative office in Douala was «to monitor relations between PAK and the public administrations, organisations and companies within its geographical area of competence». He added that the office would also «play an essential role in collecting debts owed to the Port Authority of Kribi, carrying out administrative and consular procedures, and in promoting and prospecting business opportunities».

Samuel IVAHA DIBOUA, who took over from him, began by emphasising the vital role played by the Kribi port in the eyes of the entire country, which is «counting on the port of Kribi to speed up its development». He went on to point out that «opening a PAK office in Douala will imply a greater commitment to the duty of functional solidarity and interfacing with other ports, in line with our country’s port policy built around complementarity between the country’s ports».

The symbolic ribbon was then cut, followed by a tour of the site and a meeting with the media. For many of those interviewed during the ceremony, a PAK office in Douala can only be excellent news for customers and users of port services and for the national economy.

After the Representation of Yaoundé, which covers the Centre, East, Adamawa, North and Far North regions, the Representation in Douala, located on the 11th floor of the NSIF building in Bonanjo, aims to offer customers and users a local contact and all the support necessary for easier and more efficient access to PAK’s operations and services.

The Representation’s mission will also be to strengthen cooperation with PAD; to pool efforts in the search for common opportunities for both ports; and to reinforce synergies in competitiveness and port services for the benefit of our national coastal zone.