• Cameroon launches 795 million-euro Kribi industrial zone

• Project to boost local processing near deep-water port

• First phase financed by AfDB, EU, IFC partners

The Port Authority of Kribi (PAK) officially launched the Kribi Port Industrial Zone (KPIZ) in Yaoundé on Feb. 26. KPIZ is the project company responsible for developing an integrated industrial zone adjacent to the deep-water port. The aim is to move processing facilities closer to port infrastructure to increase local value addition.

Commissioned in 2018, the port of Kribi has gradually established itself as the country’s main maritime platform and a strategic transit point for landlocked states in Central Africa, notably Chad and the Central African Republic. However, most traffic passing through the port still consists of unprocessed raw materials. With KPIZ, authorities aim to shift gears, transforming the port into an industrial production hub rather than a purely logistics platform.

The project is valued at 795 million euros, equivalent to more than 521 billion CFA francs. It is structured as a partnership between PAK and several private operators. The consortium includes Africa Global Logistics, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), and Belmont Investments, owned by Cameroonian businessman Colin Mukete, who is also a shareholder in Kribi Container Terminal.

According to a source familiar with the project, “the sectors identified by KPIZ are aligned with the National Development Strategy (SND30) and include agro-industry, textiles, metallurgy, timber, construction materials, fisheries and seafood processing, fast-moving consumer goods, and others.”

Financing, delays and cluster-based development

The first phase of construction, estimated at 400 million euros, is expected to be financed primarily by international partners, including the African Development Bank, the European Union through its Global Gateway program, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group.

The project has nevertheless experienced several delays. Initially scheduled for July 2025, the launch of KPIZ was postponed following protracted negotiations among partners. Morocco’s Tanger Med Special Agency (TMSA), which had originally been part of the project, later withdrew from the consortium.

The Kribi Port Industrial Zone covers 4,000 hectares. Development will proceed in phases, structured around sectoral clusters, with dedicated areas for heavy and medium industries, agri-food processing and research and development activities. The model is designed to foster synergies among companies, strengthen value chains and encourage innovation.

Between 2018 and 2025, nearly 400 billion CFA francs has already been invested on site by industrial companies operating in sectors including cocoa processing, cement, flour milling and logistics.

Amina Malloum, with Business in Cameroon