As a landlocked country, Chad relies heavily on the ports of Douala and Kribi in Cameroon for its foreign trade. During a regional workshop of the Observatory of Abnormal Practices on the Central African corridors (OPA-AC) held from February 12 to 19, 2026, Mahamat Djibrine, president of the Union of Approved Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders of Chad (SYCODAF-TCHAD), highlighted the crucial importance of the port of Douala for the Chadian economy, while pointing out the persistent challenges.
Djibrine highlighted the congestion of the port of Douala, leading to excessive delays and additional parking fees for Chadian goods. He also denounced the "fake fees" and extra-legal work, as well as the lack of GPS and beacons, which hinder the tracking of cargo. Despite the efforts made by the port authorities, he believes that significant improvements are still needed.
Beyond the port, Djibrine reported the proliferation of checkpoints on the Douala-Ndjamena corridor, with more than 150 checkpoints identified, while only four are officially authorized. These illegal checks lead to bribery payments estimated at between 300 and 350 CFA francs, increasing costs for Chadian importers and consumers.
Joint Cameroonian and Chadian missions have reduced the number of checkpoints to around 30, but the persistence of corruption remains a challenge. Djibrine hopes that the OPA-AC and increased political will will reverse this trend.
In theory, transit between Douala and Ndjamena should take four to five days, but delays related to lack of GPS and beacons often extend this period to up to 11 days. Djibrine stressed the need for computer interconnection between Cameroon's CAMSIS and Chad's SYDONIA systems, as well as authorization for carriers to use GPS interconnected to the Cameroonian customs system to secure goods in transit.
The Observatory of Abnormal Practices on the Central African corridors (OPA-AC) was set up as part of the Support Program for Governance of Regional and National Infrastructure in Central Africa (PAGIRN), financed by the European Union. The goal is to identify, analyze and publish irregularities found on inter-state road routes, in order to encourage authorities to take corrective action. The ISSEA (Sub-regional Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics) provides technical coordination for the OPA-AC.
The port of Douala is the main entry point for imports into Chad. Nearly 80% of Chadian imports transit through Cameroon. The fluidity of transit through Cameroon is therefore essential for the Chadian economy.
The ports of Douala and Kribi concentrated 1.455 billion FCFA of trade in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 9%. The port of Kribi is gradually establishing itself as the preferred exit point for heavy exports, complementing Douala's role. Improving the fluidity of port and customs transit remains a major challenge to promote intra-regional trade and the competitiveness of CEMAC economies.
