According to the National Port Authority (APN), the transit time for goods at the Port of Douala increased during 2015. Indeed, we learned, this performance indicator was on average around 18.08 days (against 17.27 days in 2014), “in any case, far from the 7-days indicator for imports and 2-days for exports, which is the one in the port reform”, APN highlighted.

At the origin of this situation, which somewhat affects the competitiveness of the Port of Douala, APN cites “the attitudes of some customs-approved agents, who, without training and lacking in professionalism, are operating in the sector, in total ignorance of the international commerce rules; the behaviour of some loaders, who, without financial means to pay for customs fees, do not anticipate the corresponding formalities”.

Beyond these grievances noted by APN, the Cameroonian Customs Administration is always complaining about the fact that economic operators are transforming the Douala Port area in a warehouse. Indeed, due to the low fee price be paid by importers stocking their goods at the port beyond the 10 days allowed by the law for economic operators to go through the clearance process, some goods are left at the even beyond 90 days.

In practical terms, explains an authorised source, beyond the 10-day clearance, economic operators pay for a container a sum of “FCfa 600 per day of additional storage within the port, against FCfa 3,800 per day for a vehicle left at the airport parking, for example”.