World Bank decries financial loss on Cameroon – Gabon corridor
In its recent report titled “Gabon country economic memorandum: toward greener and more inclusive growth” the World Bank revealed the Cameroon-Gabon corridor – a 478km distance – has 44 control posts with each, racketeering money from transporters and traders as 24% of traders affirmed they disbursed extra money at almost all of these control posts.
From the Abang Minko border from Cameroon to Libreville in Gabon, lorries are stopped on every 10.8km distance by Police and Gendarme elements, sanitary police, council agents, customs and other entities causing a 1,510 million FCFA loss to economic operators.
Adding to this, a 15 hour delay and high transport costs end up putting a burden on the final consumer with a hike in prices of foodstuffs. Over the years, economic experts say trade between both countries of the CEMAC zone has reduced considerably. Between 2000 and 2018, Cameroon sent 155,930 tons of merchandise to Gabon but a report from the National Institute of Statistics in 2021 disclosed Cameroon exported only 38.9 tons of goods worth F CFA 27.2billion to Gabon.
Transporters’ trade unions denounce the non – respect of regulations applicable to transporters and traders and a violation of bilateral conventions pertaining to the transportation of goods by road as stipulated in the terms and conditions of the CEMAC free circulation guide
