The president of this employers’ organization made a statement after an emergency consultation.
Tensions are rising at the Autonomous Port of Douala (PAD). Meeting on Thursday, February 12, 2026, in Douala, the Group of Cameroonian Enterprises (GECAM) convened an emergency consultation with the main players in the port sector to examine the crisis arising from the coexistence of two container scanning operators, SGS and Transatlantic D SA, since the beginning of 2026.
A situation deemed “unprecedented and unacceptable.” Around the table were representatives from SCADIC, UCAM, GPAC, CNCC, SYNEFOR, GIMC, CROPLIFE, as well as several importers.
Following the discussions, the business community denounced “with the utmost firmness” a situation described as unprecedented and totally unacceptable, the repercussions of which are already said to be heavy for Cameroonian businesses and the economy.
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Among the main grievances raised:
Significant extension of port transit times, leading to unusual congestion;
Systematic double billing for scanning services, resulting in a substantial increase in transit costs, to which are added congestion fees and demurrage;
Production slowdowns and risks of supply shortages for certain products;
A direct impact on prices for final consumers, with the background of an increased risk of smuggling;
A decrease in the competitiveness of the Douala port, considered the essential lung of the national economy;
The paralysis of customs clearance and embarkation operations observed in recent days;
And, more broadly, a marked deterioration of the business environment.
GECAM makes three main demands to the competent authorities:
The immediate normalization of the system, with the establishment of a single scanning and payment operation;
The creation of a joint Administration-Private Sector commission responsible for assessing the additional costs incurred by companies and organizing their full reimbursement;
The freezing of tariff increases decided by PAD, pending a full assessment of their impact on transit costs and business competitiveness.
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In the absence of a definitive solution, companies warn that they will be forced to implement, as a precautionary measure, starting Monday, February 16, 2026, a temporary suspension of the release of import and export declarations as well as customs declarations.
Such a measure could exacerbate the paralysis of port activities and have chain repercussions on the entire national economic fabric.
The statement is signed in Douala by Célestin Tawamba, president of GECAM, who calls for a rapid response from the public authorities to preserve the stability of the business climate in Cameroon.
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