After 17 years of legal battles, the Cameroonian government has revoked the land title for the DJEUGA Palace hotel in Douala. The Minister of Domains, Land Registry, and Land Affairs has formalized the retraction of the definitive concession granted to the DJEUGA Palace Hotel Company, bringing an end to a long-standing dispute.
At the heart of the dispute is a plot of land historically integrated into the railway domain. Following the dissolution of the former REGIFERCAM (Federal Railway Authority of Cameroon) in 1999, its assets were divided between liquidation and CAMRAIL, the railway activity concessionaire. The plot in question, located in downtown Douala, formerly housed REGIFERCAM warehouses.
According to available information, an initial administration of the Domains had granted the site in provisional concession to DJEUGA Palace, after classifying it as a dependency of the 2nd category national domain, a classification contested by the creditors of the former REGIFERCAM. They argued that the land could not be considered free due to existing railway infrastructure. A definitive concession was granted in 2016, in the context of preparations for the 2016 and 2019 AFCON, increasing the area to 5,972.3 m².
However, a government mission found that DJEUGA Palace actually occupied 1 hectare 07 ares 04 centiares, i.e. the entire area initially identified, with an estimated market value of 10 billion FCFA.
The decree n°00539/Y.7/MINDCAF/SG/D6/5200/S210 of February 13, 2026, therefore formalized the retraction of the definitive concession. The Minister of Domains stressed that private initiative must comply with laws and regulations, and that fraud does not give rise to compensation. The ATOU S.A. consulting firm, representing the creditors of the former REGIFERCAM, welcomed this decision as a rigorous application of the law. The resolution of this 17-year dispute marks an important step in the management of Douala's land assets.
