DIT was forced to turn to the ICC arbitration tribunal under the 2004 concession agreement on the following two points:
On November 13, 2020, the arbitration tribunal recognized the merits of DIT's two claims.
Consequently, the arbitration tribunal ordered the PAD to pay DIT in damages and to re-issue an open tender notice including DIT.
DIT welcomes these decisions in accordance with the rule of law.
The recourse to arbitration was provided for under the APD-DIT concession agreement of 2004. In accordance with the arbitration rules of the ICC, the ruling was handed down in full independence by a tribunal composed of the two parties.
DIT stresses the fact that the Cameroonian courts have already ruled on several occasions in favor of DIT’s main shareholders on the irregularity of the tender procedure for the container terminal concession and the illegality of the public company implemented by APD to operate the container terminal.
Naturally, DIT and its main shareholders will continue to defend their rights relative to all the parties involved before national and international jurisdictional bodies, particularly as concerns the requisitions of its personnel and assets ordered illegally by APD at end-December 2019.
About DIT
Douala International Terminal, the main shareholders of which are APMT and Bolloré Ports, was the operator of the container terminal at the Port of Douala from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2019. Over the 15-year concession period, DIT fitted the terminal with modern equipment and infrastructure resulting in a threefold improvement in performance (with 350,000 TEU recorded in 2019) and invested above and beyond its initial commitments. With 450 employees, DIT obtained ISO 9001 certification (quality management) and was the first terminal to obtain ISPS certification (maritime security). The company regularly led initiatives in favor of disadvantaged populations and young people. At the end of the concession period, and despite the cancellation by the Cameroonian courts of the result of the call for tenders on the new concession for the container terminal, PAD illegally ordered the requisition of DIT personnel and equipment. The matter has been referred to the court and the company is awaiting the continuation of the procedures.
• Inflation within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) fell to a two-year low of 0....
• Interbank volumes rose 18.7% in May, while rates declined across the market• The BCEAO cut its mai...
• The U.S. imposed a 20% tariff on cashew exports from Vietnam and a 40% tax on suspected transshipm...
Cauri Money launches Gajo Money, an e-wallet for the Cameroonian diaspora, targeting €120 mil...
• Qatar Airways and Kenya Airways establish strategic agreement, introducing a third daily flight be...
MTN has announced the launch of the MTN Cloud Accelerator, a 12-week hybrid program designed to help African startups scale faster by leveraging MTN’s...
• CMOC increased cobalt production by 13% to 61,073 tonnes in the first half of 2025.• The DRC extended its cobalt export ban, forcing CMOC to stockpile...
Kenya plans to import 1.05 million tonnes of palm oil in 2025/2026, near its highest ever level. Malaysia supplies 90% of Kenya’s palm oil, sharply...
Power Africa closed after 12 years, leaving a gap in Africa’s electrification push. Mission 300 aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity...
The Emerald Sea is a vast turquoise lagoon located in the northern part of Madagascar, just a few kilometers from the town of Antsiranana (formerly Diego...
Malawi’s Mount Mulanje and Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy added to UNESCO World Heritage List Africa still holds 25% of endangered sites, despite recent...