From a forgotten fishing village to a regional trade powerhouse
It has been fifteen years since the first Chinese engineers arrived at Mboro, a remote fishing settlement on Cameroon’s southern coast. Today, that same stretch of shoreline hosts one of Central Africa’s most advanced deep-water ports, anchoring a rapidly expanding industrial and logistics economy. The transformation is not just physical; it reflects deeper shifts in how the country trades, builds, and envisions its future.
The vision for a deep-water port dates back to the 1970s, when planners recognised that Douala’s shallow estuary could no longer accommodate the larger vessels driving global commerce. With the completion of phases one and two, that long-held ambition finally became reality.
How the landscape changed – and why it matters
Gu Gaobai, now CHEC’s country director for projects in Cameroon, was among the first Chinese workers to arrive in 2011. He recalls navigating narrow dirt tracks to reach a site marked only by sand and a few reefs. “We could barely see where the future port would stand,” he says. Today, a divided highway with a central pedestrian walkway has replaced the old path, and new buildings, shops, and public facilities have sprung up along the route.
For long-time resident Jean-Kalvin Assembe, 50, the change is felt in daily life. “I am happy and fulfilled in this city,” he says. The influx of workers and companies has created opportunities for locals and boosted household incomes. “Even small neighbourhood shops now have customers. It brings real positive change.”
Modern apartment blocks, hospitals, universities, and shopping centres now dot Kribi. Streetlights illuminate roads that once went dark after sunset, while the port area remains brightly lit through the night. Truck drivers are among those who have benefited. Long queues of lorries form daily in the port zone. Yaya Aboubakar, a 68-year-old veteran driver who has crossed four Central African countries, says the port opened up the region to him. “Kribi made things easier. The service is fast, too.”
Gu Gaobai often hears clients and experts who know China compare Kribi to Shenzhen – a “city of the future.”
The engine behind industrial growth and regional integration
As the port expanded, so did its industrial zone. Patrick Mpila Ayissi, head of infrastructure at the Kribi Port Industrial Zone, says investment accelerated after operations began in 2018. “Industrial operators have invested nearly 400 billion CFA francs (about $700 million), with 93 occupancy permits issued and 18 companies already operational,” he notes. The original 455-hectare logistics zone has grown into a 4,000-hectare integrated industrial area.
Ayissi expects the zone to attract close to $900 million in investment and create 50,000 direct jobs, with up to 150,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next 15 years. The port has also become a strategic platform for Central Africa, serving neighbouring markets. “Container traffic has quadrupled since 2018, exceeding 555,000 TEUs in 2025, while total cargo volume surpassed 12.7 million tonnes in 2024,” he says.
Trade already flows from Kribi to Gabon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. Shipping lines such as MSC have strengthened the port’s regional connections.
To support the growing logistics network, CHEC also built the Kribi-Lolabé road. “This road links the deep-water port to major cities, facilitating movement of people and goods, and contributing to Cameroon’s industrialisation,” explains Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works.
Skills that transform livelihoods
The port’s impact extends to individual career paths. In 2013, Ngatugirius Ndenya left his welding job in Yaoundé to join CHEC in Kribi. “When I arrived, the beginning was very hard,” recalls the 53-year-old. CHEC paired Cameroonian workers with experienced Chinese colleagues, allowing them to gain hands-on experience before taking on tasks independently. “Before, I was just a platform welder. Now I can do everything in welding,” Ndenya says. “The young people who came here were not technicians, but today they are.”
For some, the port has changed their living conditions entirely. Armand Guehoada, now in charge of commercial affairs at CHEC, remembers arriving with nothing. “I had left a job where I earned maybe 100,000 CFA francs a month,” he says. “After a while, I could buy a vehicle. Today I’m on my third. I can easily support my family.”
Gu Gaobai notes that over the past 15 years, CHEC has trained a large number of local professionals in port construction and large-scale project engineering. “Many of those who worked on the port are now contributing to the development of the neighbouring industrial zone.”
A partnership built to last
This year marks the 55th anniversary 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 Cameroon-China cooperation. Its development has relied from the start on concessional financing from Chinese institutions, demonstrating a truly long-term partnership,” says Ayissi.
For Patrice Melom, general manager of the Kribi Port Authority, the port has opened new horizons for the city and the country. “The future of 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 affirms.
