Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
The GM Of Port Authority Of Douala, CYRUS NGO’O, Backed By The SG At The Presidency, NGOH NGOH, Is Bent On Ending A Contract Gov’t Signed With Swiss Company, SGS, To Replace The Company With Transatlantic D. Finance Minister, MOTAZE, Has Expressed Worry That Cameroon Has Been Losing Huge Sums Of Money, In Payment Of Indemnities, For Breach Of Contracts.
The Crisis at the Douala Port in the merchandise inspection (scanning) sector is still ongoing though at a limited degree, despite the meeting which the General Manager of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), Cyrus NGO’O, and the General Manager of SGS Scanning Cameroun SA, Madam Patricia NZONDJOU, finally had on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Not only has SGS not yet been reinstated by PAD at the Port to continue with the container inspection as the Prime Minister, Chief Dr Joseph Dion NGUTE, demanded late last month, but it not yet even certain as to when SGS will resume activities at the Douala Port. Transatlantic D Company, that the General Manager of PAD brought to the Douala Port remains installed at the Port..
At the end of the meeting that held on February 4, the decision was instead that the delegations from the two companies, PAD and SGS, will have to meet and continue discussions, on the resumption of activities by SGS at the Douala Port. Some sources are suspecting that the General Manager of PAD, Cyrus Ngo’o, is playing for time, with the hope that the long awaited formation of a new Government by President Biya will finally be done one of these days, and that Prime Minister Dion Ngute will be dropped, and the current Minster of Finance, Louis Paul MOTAZE, will either be dropped also or sent to another ministry, while Ferdinand NGOH NGOH maintains his current strategic post of Secretary General at the Presidency.
As a Nigerian proverb that Chinua Achebe quoted in one of his books states, if you see a bird dancing by the roadside, you know the drummer is in the nearby bush. There is no doubt that the toughness or stubbornness that the General Manager of PAD, Cyrus Ngo;o , is displaying against the Prime Minister and some members of Government like Finance Minister, Louis Paul Motaze, in this issue , is definitely because he knows he has the ‘all powerful’ Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, with power of “High Instruction”, behind him. The Prime Minister and the other members of Government certainly know this.
The Mafia
In 2025, the General Manager of the State owned Port Authority Of Douala, PAD, Cyrus Ngo’o, with the backing of the ‘all powerful’ Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, who is like his god –father, embarked on an operation to illegally kick out of the Douala Port, ‘Societe Generale de Surveillance’, SGS Scanning Cameroun SA, an affiliate or subsidiary of the Swiss Group, SGS.
Since 2015, SGS Scanning Cameroun which signed a contract with the Government of Cameroon, had been operating the relatively new sector of merchandise or container inspection (scanning) at the Douala Port, until January 2, 2026, when PAD illegally and forcefully disrupted the company’s activities, and even dismantled part of its installations at the Port, for Transatlantic to take over the operation. This was in line with a business deal, to at all cost, bring Transatlantic D Company already operating at the Kribi Port where it is in charge of container inspection, to also take over the operation from SGS at the Douala Port, and thus create a situation of monopoly.
General Manager Of PAD Announces Takeover By Transatlantic D.
Meanwhile, in communiqué No. 0583 /253 / DG / PAD of 26 December 2025, the General Manger of PAD, Cyrus Ngo’o, declared as follows:
- As of 1st January 2026, non – intrusive cargo inspection (scanning) operations at the Port of Douala –Bonaberi, will be exclusively carried out by Transatlantic D. SA, under concession granted by the Douala Port Authority.
- All scanning fees will be paid directly at Transatlantic D SA Office located within the port area at the place known as IMMEUBLE OUIFEROU.
- Any container, for which scanning fees have not been duly paid, shall not be authorized to proceed within the port logistic chain.
- Ultimately, scanning operations will extend over the entire perimeter of the concession which covers all goods passing through the port, both for import and export , and regardless of the packaging method (100 % screening), in line with the general policy of the State, regarding the security of borders and national territory.
- Detailed procedures for import and export scanning will be specified in a separate document.
Worthy of note, that the General Manager of PAD did not even mention SGS Cameroun in his press release. It was clear in the release that PAD had already signed a concession agreement with Transatlantic D. SA, and that cargo inspection or scanning of containers, was from January 1, 2026 to be exclusively carried out by the new operator, Transatlantic D.
A Situation Of Monopoly
As a Cameroonian economist, Serge Alain Godong, wrote, looking at the issue from an economic point of view, the move to bring in Transatlantic D Company, which is already in charge of container inspection (scanning) operation at the Kribi Port, to also take over the operation at the Douala Port, will create a situation of monopoly in cargo inspection at Cameroon’s only two major functioning ports. As the economist pointed out, monopoly which also means lack of competition in the sector, have possible negative effects, like for example the lack of innovation due to the absence of competition in the sector. Monopoly also creates a situation where the lone company in the sector can decide to unfairly increase price, or in this case increase the fee charged for cargo scanning, knowing that importers and exporters have no choice, as there is no other port to turn to, as an alternative. Monopoly also creates room for a situation where a company can be able to take the country hostage.
Worthy of note that a Senior Customs Inspector, Dr KAMDEM FOTSO Michel (‘Inspecteur Principal des Douane hors echelle’), wrote that the fee that Transatlantic D charges to scan a container at the Douala Port, is higher than the amount the company charges at the Kribi Port, and also higher than the amount that SGS Cameroun charges at the Douala Port.
Finance Minister Explains The Objective Of The Contract That Gov’t Signed With SGS
Meanwhile, the issue of monopoly aside, the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, addressed a correspondence dated December 29, 2025 to the General Manager of PAD, in which he tried to call him to order. The Finance Minister made reference to a correspondence that the General Manager of PAD, Cyrus Ngo’o, addressed apparently to him on December 8, 2025 on this subject of a scanning contract at the Douala Port. The minister called on the General Manger of PAD to take a closer look at the details of the terms of the contract that the Cameroon Government concluded with SGS Scanning Cameroun, as contained in the contract that was signed on March 2, 2015.
Minister Motaze told the General Manager of PAD that the General Directorate of Customs and others,, are well versed on the terms and objectives of the contract, which is mainly to secure the collection of customs revenue. The Minister of Finance reminded the General Manager of PAD in his correspondence dated December 29, 2025: “Je vous demande de vous enternir, en cette matitiere, aux disposition pertinentes du Contrat ‘d’Inspection par Scanner CIS), que le Gouvenement a conclu avec la Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) le 02 Mars 2015, de renforcer la secuirization des recettes douanieres”. The Finance Minister pointed out here that the contract for the container inspection operation using scanners, that the Government signed with SGS on March 2, 2015, has as main objective to reinforce efforts to secure customs revenue, by being able to detect fraud.
The introduction of container inspection operation by scanning at the Douala Port is thus mainly meant by Government to check fraud, and thus curb loss in customs revenue. There are often cases of unscrupulous importers, who would for example lie to the Customs in their declarations, that their containers contain only second –hand products, when they have hidden in the middle of the containers, brand new and expensive things, for which they are supposed to pay a higher customs duty. The scanning machines show the inside of a container, and thus all the products or whatever, in the container.
It should also be noted that for the contract that was signed between the State of Cameroon represented by the Government, and SGS Cameroun, on March 2, 15, President Biya designated the then Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to sign for Cameroon.
Frequent Breach of Contracts In Cameroon
Meanwhile, in an interview which the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, granted CRTV on January 27, 2026, and which was transcribed and published by French language daily newspaper, Eco – Matin, the minister talked on a number of issues like the 2026 State budget, the CEMAC Heads of States Conference in Brazzaville, Congo Republic, where he represented the Head of State, and other issues like the Crisis at the Douala Port. As for the Crisis at the Douala Port, Louis Paul Motaze said he was quite worried as the Minister of Finance, who is the administrator always told by hierarchy to look for funds to pay huge sums of money as indemnities or fines, for breach of contract by Cameroon, committed by some Government administrators. He disclosed that the State of Cameroon often loses huge sums of money to pay for penalties, for breach of contract, or non – respect of legal engagements.
Interestingly enough, Minister Motaze said at times some people hide under the pretext that their acts to breach the terms of contracts, concessions or whatever, are due to some strategic decisions taken by the Head of State. But Motaze stressed that Cameroonian administrators have the responsible, to while carrying out their duties, or while executing whatever decisions, to do things in a way as to avoid situations that will lead the country to lose financial resources, which more so are so scarce., to pay for indemnities or penalties.
The Finance Minister said that was why he had to recall to the General Manager of PAD, in his correspondence on December 29, 2025, the existence of a contract that the Government signed with SGS for the merchandise inspection (scanning), operation at the Douala Port. He said some people apparently thought that the contract had ended, as they claim. He said such people just need to read the terms of the contract, to understand that it has not yet ended, and that it will only end in 2032.
Cameroon’s Business Climate Also Seriously Affected By Breach Of Contracts
Minister Motaze cautioned that besides he huge sums of money that the State of Cameroon always pay as penalties or indemnities for breach of contracts caused by some administrators, after they lose the legal battles, there is also the issue of the image of the country that suffers, affecting the business climate or the investment environment. He said no serious investiture will be willing to come and invest in a country, when there is no guarantee, or he is unsure, that the terms of a contract he signs will be respected.
Talking of how Cameroon has become notorious for breach of contracts, the title of an article written by Barrister Felix Agbor Balla, which appeared on the front page of French language daily, Emergence , on Friday, February 6, 2026, read: “Comment Le Cameroun Paie Le Prix Du Non – Respect Des Contracts”. That is, “How Cameroon Pays The Price Of Non –Respect Of Contracts”.
