Effective Launch of the Industrial Zone of the Port of Kribi

The ceremony, held at the PAK headquarters, was attended by:

• Mr. Patrice Barthélémy MELOM, General Manager of PAK,

• Mr. Koné Dossongui, founder of Atlantic Group and Chairman of ACC,

• the Senior Divisional Officer of the Ocean Division,

• along with General Managers of the partner companies.

“This agreement marks the effective take-off of Kribi’s industrial zone. By hosting the first agro-industrial unit, we are laying the foundations of a new era for local transformation and national economic growth,” declared Mr. Patrice MELOM.

A Strategic Investment for the Cocoa Sector

The project amounts to an investment of 30 billion CFA francs, partially financed by BGFI Bank.
Initially, the plant will process 32,000 tons of cocoa beans per year, with a capacity expansion to 60,000 tons at full operation.
The factory will source its raw material mainly from the South and Centre regions, which together supply about 140,000 tons annually.

This project will focus on primary processing (grinding), with the objective of producing semi-finished products such as cocoa liquor, butter, and powder.

“Kribi was our natural choice: its deep-sea port, its modern infrastructure, and its potential to become a hub for industrial and logistics development in Central Africa,” stated Mr. Koné Dossongui.

Supporting National Industrial Policy

This project is perfectly aligned with the Cameroonian Government’s strategy, which aims to process at least 50% of the national cocoa output locally by 2020.
Currently, only 25% of Cameroon’s annual production (200,000 tons) is transformed within the country, compared to over 40% in Côte d’Ivoire.

By increasing local processing capacity, this project will:

• enhance Cameroon’s share of value-added cocoa products,

• strengthen the country’s position in the global cocoa value chain,

• create employment opportunities and stimulate related industries.

Timeline of an Ambitious Project

• July 29, 2015: Ivorian entrepreneur Koné Dossongui announces his plan for an industrial cocoa consortium in Cameroon.

• March 14, 2016: Atlantic Cocoa Corporation, subsidiary of Atlantic Group, launches a call for tenders for the establishment of a processing plant in Kribi.

• 2016–2017: The company receives government approval, alongside other firms such as Fapam Industry SA, Agro Ressources Cameroon SA, and Quantum Cocoa SA.

• January 24, 2018: Official MoU signing between ACC and PAK, confirming the operational take-off of Kribi’s industrial zone.

Kribi, a New Industrial Hub

With this first project, the Port of Kribi demonstrates its ambition to be:

• a major logistics gateway in Central Africa,

• an industrial cluster for value-added transformation,

• a driver of regional economic growth.

“This is just the beginning. Kribi’s industrial zone is designed to host multiple units of this nature. The first factory will act as a showcase for what is to come,” concluded the PAK General Manager.

📌 The event was open to the press, with technical documentation provided to stakeholders interested in the project’s broader economic and industrial impacts.