SGS Cameroon (Société Générale de Surveillance) is at the center of a growing controversy regarding its scanning activities at the port of Douala. The case highlights a contract deemed unfavorable to the Cameroonian State, opaque tax contributions, and advantages inherited from colonization. As national and international media seize the subject, the management of SGS Cameroon is being criticized for its lack of transparency and its refusal to answer questions from the press.
Analysts believe that this silence conceals unorthodox practices, favored by complicity within the Cameroonian leadership. In the background, the Douala Autonomous Port (PAD) claims a right of inspection and management of port operations, in accordance with a 2019 presidential decree. This claim clashes with the influence of SGS, whose contract with the State does not seem to impose any obligations of result, according to some analysis.
The current situation raises concerns about national security and the economic sovereignty of Cameroon. The PAD is seen as a sieve, particularly because of the "operational mediocrity" and non-compliance with the specifications by SGS. Voices are rising to denounce a system where the profits from scanning operations benefit a few officials and the multinational more than the state coffers.
The agreement on double taxation, inherited from colonization, is also singled out. It would allow SGS not to declare its taxes to the Cameroonian tax authorities, according to some sources. This situation would explain why the amounts of its contribution to the public treasury have never been made public, despite more than a decade of activity at the port of Douala.
Faced with these revelations, questions are emerging about the true ambitions of the beneficiaries of this system, especially in a context of political change. The scandal highlights the challenges of managing public resources and the fight against corruption in Cameroon.
Ports, airports and land borders are strategic levers of economic sovereignty and should be subject to special security arrangements.
The controversy surrounding scanning activities at the port of Douala raises crucial questions about transparency, governance, and the economic future of Cameroon.
