The Port Authority of Kribi officially launched the Kribi Port Industrial Zone (KPIZ) in Yaoundé on Feb. 26, Ecofin Agency reported.
KPIZ is the project company tasked with developing an integrated industrial zone next to the deep-water port of Kribi. The goal is to bring processing facilities closer to port infrastructure in order to increase local value addition.
Since its commissioning in 2018, the port of Kribi has grown into Cameroon’s main maritime hub and an important transit corridor for landlocked Central African countries, especially Chad and the Central African Republic.
Despite this progress, most of the goods moving through the port remain unprocessed raw materials. With KPIZ, authorities intend to transform Kribi from a mainly logistics platform into a center for industrial production.
The project is valued at 795 million euros, or more than 521 billion CFA francs. It is structured as a partnership between the Port Authority of Kribi and several private investors.
The consortium includes Africa Global Logistics, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms, and Belmont Investments, owned by Cameroonian businessman Colin Mukete, who is also a shareholder in Kribi Container Terminal.
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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.”
The first phase of construction, estimated at 400 million euros, is expected to be financed mainly by international partners, including the African Development Bank, the European Union through its Global Gateway program, and the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group.
The project has faced delays. It was initially scheduled for launch in July 2025 but was postponed due to lengthy negotiations between partners.
Morocco’s Tanger Med Special Agency, which was originally involved, later withdrew from the consortium.
The Kribi Port Industrial Zone covers 4,000 hectares. Development will take place in phases, organized around sector-specific clusters, with designated areas for heavy and medium industries, agri-food processing, and research and development.
This structure is intended to create collaboration between companies, strengthen value chains, and support innovation.
Between 2018 and 2025, nearly 400 billion CFA francs has already been invested at the site by companies operating in sectors such as cocoa processing, cement production, flour milling, and logistics.
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Image Credit: One World – Nations Online
