Camrail: Ivorian appointed General Manager as Cameroonians sidelined

By Stephen Tadaha & Hans Ngala

An Ivorian has been appointed General Manager (GM) of the Cameroon Railways Corporation (Camrail). Joël Hounsinou was announced as the company’s new GM on Wednesday. He replaces Pascal Miny who held the position for over six years.

Hounsinou was entrusted to the position by the Africa Global Logistics (AGL) group, a major international transport and logistics operator which owns part of Camrail.

Hounsinou is a graduate of the Abidjan Business School and the Houphouët Boigny National Polytechnic Institute in Yamoussoukro, he served as CEO of Africa Global Logistics (AGL) Côte d’Ivoire before his recent appointment at Camrail. He has 29 years of experience in transport and logistics. After starting his career within the Arthur Andersen and Coopers & Lybrand audit groups, he joined the Bolloré group (now AGL) in 1995.

“I am honored to join CAMRAIL, and to return to the world of rail that has seen me grow professionally. I look forward to working with the teams to achieve the important goals we have been assigned” Hounsinou said.  “I will be particularly attentive to the expectations of the public partner in order to increase the footprint of the railway in Cameroon. I know that I can count on the know-how of my fellow railway workers and on our collective commitment to continue and accelerate the work of my predecessor. I arrive with a lot of humility but with faith and a strong will. I would like to thank all those who have placed their trust in me by putting me at the head of this prestigious company” he added.

Hounsinou’s appointment as Camrail GM has left many Cameroonians wondering why a foreigner would get one of the country’s top jobs while many others are unemployed in the country. However, the major challenge awaiting the new CEO, will be the development of the national rail network particularly the rehabilitation and construction, with a standard gauge, of certain stretches like those of Douala-Yaoundé, Douala-Ngaoundéré lines, and the extension of Cameroon’s railway to Chad, departing from the Ngaoundéré terminal.   

According to the government, the creation of new railway lines is also on the horizon, notably linking Limbe-Idenau and Édéa-Kribi-Lolabé-Campo. Camrail employs some 1,500 full-time staff and subcontracts another 4000 with an average annual investment of 12 billion CFA.