This solution was formulated by the Chad General Consul in order to facilitate the transport of cargo to the hinterland during an audience with PAK General Manager last 24 February in Kribi.
“Discuss the various opportunities offered by the Kribi Deep-sea Port, but also the problems that slow down the transport of imported goods to the hinterland”. This is how Idriss YOUSSOUF BOY, Chad General Consul summed up the aim of his working visit to the Port Authority of Kribi (PAK) last 24 February.
The Chadian diplomat led a delegation comprising of Ali ADJI MAHAMAT SEID, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts (CCIAMA), Moustapha NOUR MAHAMAT, General Manager of the Shipper’s Council (COC- TCHAD) and Mahamat INOUA BELLO, representative of COC -TCHAD in Cameroon.
Patrice MELOM, PAK General Manager was flanked with close collaborators, namely the Operations Manager, Michael MAMA and the Head of Cooperation and Financial Engineering, Yves MELINGUI. The Chadian delegation commended the significant progress made in the Port of Kribi, especially paperless procedures.
“Except that the circuit of Kribi is bogged down by pseudo issues of customs bonds and GPS breakage, which immobilise trucks for too long. It is useless to get your goods out of the Port in less than half an hour, as it is actually done in Kribi, and then get stuck at the customs for days.”, regrets the General Consul who is a trainee customs inspector. Idriss YOUSSOUF BOY made it clear that the issue of transport is not caused by the Port, but by players in the chain, namely the Customs Administration and the Land Freight Management Office (BGFT).
He equally adds that “nevertheless, it behoves the Port Authority to find sustainable solutions to the human malpractices that occur in the port and on the corridor”. As a solution, the General Consul suggested that « all trucks should be authorized to have their own GPS connected to the Customs IT systems. Thus, we will no longer talk about GPS breakage.”
Commending the Chadian approach aiming at presenting the concerns to the Port Authority, Patrice MELOM gave assurance that a discussion framework has been put in place for some time with the Customs Administration to tackle the issue. Therefore, proceedings will resume, and the Chadian proposal will be submitted to the relevant authorities. It was the occasion for PAK to remind Chad that the country was given a 15-ha plot to develop in the Port. A visit of the site and the whole port was done after the audience with PAK General Manager, thus enabling the delegation to have an updated idea of infrastructures and their location.
