Logistics services in Cameroon.

Cameroon logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Cameroon connect sea, air, rail and road. Containers and bulk cargo move through seaports such as Douala, Kribi Deep Sea Port and several oil and marine terminals along about 402 km of coastline. Scheduled air services run through five main airports, including Douala, Yaoundé Nsimalen and Garoua.

Around 987 km of rail support inland moves and link to ports like Douala. Road corridors connect Cameroon to Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, supporting cross-border trucking in addition to maritime and air freight flows.

When choosing freight forwarders in Cameroon, shippers work around a mid-range liner connectivity index of about 19 and container throughput of about 350,000 TEU, mostly via Douala. The logistics performance index is 2.1 overall, below the world median of 2.7, with customs and infrastructure both at 2.1 and tracking at 1.8, so experience with local procedures and shipment visibility matters.

Forwarders familiar with Cameroon’s main partners, including China, Netherlands, France, UAE and India, can optimize routings for garments, refined petroleum, plastics, wheat, rice and outbound crude petroleum, natural gas, gold, cocoa and wood. Shippers often coordinate closely with lines that have offices in Douala or Kribi such as Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, APL, CNC, Hapag-Lloyd and PIL, while forwarders or customs brokers handle port operations and documentation.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Cameroon moves through a network of about 7 ports, led by Douala and Kribi Deep Sea Port plus multiple offshore oil and marine terminals. Douala is a medium-sized port with cargo pier depth around 11.5 m and rail access, while Limboh Terminal and Kome Kribi 1 Marine Terminal serve as very small facilities. Container throughput is about 350,000 TEU in 2024.

Liner connectivity, with an LSCI near 18.5 in 2021, is supported by major shipping lines with offices in Douala, including APL, CMA CGM, CNC, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk and PIL, and several of these also maintain offices in Kribi. These carriers can arrange FCL and LCL shipping from and to Cameroon on their regional and intercontinental networks.

Rail and road freight in Cameroon are central to moving cargo between inland production areas, ports and neighboring markets. The rail network extends about 987 km and connects to the port of Douala, supporting bulk and container movements inland. Rail freight volume is about 874 million tonne-km in 2021, indicating a meaningful role alongside road transport.

Road freight links Cameroon with several neighbors: Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. Border lengths range up to about 1,975 km with Nigeria and more than 1,100 km with Chad, supporting corridors for regional trade in both imports and exports in addition to port-bound traffic.

Customs clearance in Cameroon operates within a WTO member economy that has been part of the World Customs Organization since 1965. The country applies an average tariff of about 18 percent as of 2022. In the World Bank logistics performance index, the customs score is 2.1, compared with a world median of 2.6, while the overall LPI is also 2.1 versus 2.7.

Typical documentation includes at minimum the commercial invoice, packing list and transport document. Reported export border compliance time is around 5 days and import around 6 days in 2018. Regional arrangements, including membership in the AU, frame some of the trade and customs cooperation that shippers and brokers must consider when planning clearance in Cameroon.