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Photos: Dreams of El Dorado as China takes charge Cameroon port

Cameroon’s most ambitious project since independence in 1960, is a rare bit of good news for the government, which is facing insurgencies, widespread discontent with President Paul Biya’s 35-year grip on power and a steep drop in oil income. Meant to transform the sleepy fishing town of Kribi into an industrial hub and being built and funded by China, the project is also helping Chinese companies gain a foothold in Cameroon, whose oil-dependent economy used to be dominated by French firms, and is easing access to neighboring Chad and Central African Republic.

Updated on: Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM IST

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1/11

Local residents relax on the beach of Kribi, Cameroon. Hundreds of migrant workers have pinned their hopes on Cameroon’s most ambitious water port since independence in 1960 that’s meant to transform this sleepy fishing town into an industrial hub. Built and funded by China, the project is also helping Chinese companies gain a foothold in Cameroon. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Local residents relax on the beach of Kribi, Cameroon. Hundreds of migrant workers have pinned their hopes on Cameroon’s most ambitious water port since independence in 1960 that’s meant to transform this sleepy fishing town into an industrial hub. Built and funded by China, the project is also helping Chinese companies gain a foothold in Cameroon. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

2/11

Alain Eko(C), 34, walks with colleagues along Lolabe beach. Every day at sunrise, Eko walks half an hour on a footpath cutting through a coastal forest to the edge of what’s to become the biggest deep-water port in central Africa. He has offloaded trucks, wedged bricks into hill slopes and shoveled dirt since he moved here to work as a day labourer with contractors for the company building the port, China Harbour Engineering Co.(CHEC). (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Alain Eko(C), 34, walks with colleagues along Lolabe beach. Every day at sunrise, Eko walks half an hour on a footpath cutting through a coastal forest to the edge of what’s to become the biggest deep-water port in central Africa. He has offloaded trucks, wedged bricks into hill slopes and shoveled dirt since he moved here to work as a day labourer with contractors for the company building the port, China Harbour Engineering Co.(CHEC). (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

3/11

A billboard advertising Kribi Container Terminal stands at the roadside. The official opening of the port’s first container and multi-purpose terminals in March was a bright spot for Cameroon’s government, which is facing insurgencies, widespread discontent with President Paul Biya’s 35-year grip on power and a steep drop in oil income. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

A billboard advertising Kribi Container Terminal stands at the roadside. The official opening of the port’s first container and multi-purpose terminals in March was a bright spot for Cameroon’s government, which is facing insurgencies, widespread discontent with President Paul Biya’s 35-year grip on power and a steep drop in oil income. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

4/11

A worker walks by cranes at the multi-purpose terminal operated by Kribi Polyvalent Multiple Operators (KPMO), at the Port of Kribi. “It’s an El Dorado for Cameroon,” Eko said as he stood on a beach and pointed at cranes towering on the horizon. “This is the future,” he added hoping that one day he’ll earn enough to bring his wife and child from the interior. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

A worker walks by cranes at the multi-purpose terminal operated by Kribi Polyvalent Multiple Operators (KPMO), at the Port of Kribi. “It’s an El Dorado for Cameroon,” Eko said as he stood on a beach and pointed at cranes towering on the horizon. “This is the future,” he added hoping that one day he’ll earn enough to bring his wife and child from the interior. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

5/11

Workers load timber onto the bulk carrier vessel Faneromeni at the multi-purpose terminal. This project has sparked controversy with environmentalists raising concerns about its impact on the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, well before bulldozers began clearing trees in 2010. By the time the project is due to be completed in 2035, tens of thousands hectares of jungle will have been cleared for an entirely new city. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Workers load timber onto the bulk carrier vessel Faneromeni at the multi-purpose terminal. This project has sparked controversy with environmentalists raising concerns about its impact on the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, well before bulldozers began clearing trees in 2010. By the time the project is due to be completed in 2035, tens of thousands hectares of jungle will have been cleared for an entirely new city. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

6/11

Gantry cranes sit on the dockside at the container terminal, operated by CHEC, Bollore SA, and CMA CGM SA. “Cameroon has been trying to identify an area to build a deep-sea port for decades,” said commercial director Modeste Jocelin Ako’o. “The port of Douala, where most of our industry is located, is completely saturated. We need a port that’s in line with international standards to boost our economy.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Gantry cranes sit on the dockside at the container terminal, operated by CHEC, Bollore SA, and CMA CGM SA. “Cameroon has been trying to identify an area to build a deep-sea port for decades,” said commercial director Modeste Jocelin Ako’o. “The port of Douala, where most of our industry is located, is completely saturated. We need a port that’s in line with international standards to boost our economy.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

7/11

Local fishermen untangle and clean their nets on the beach of Kribi. So far fishermen of nearby Lolabe village have refused to move to a specially built town where bulbous street lamps stick out like strange insects in a dark green forest. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Local fishermen untangle and clean their nets on the beach of Kribi. So far fishermen of nearby Lolabe village have refused to move to a specially built town where bulbous street lamps stick out like strange insects in a dark green forest. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

8/11

James Arthur Edongue, chief port logistics for the Port Authority of Kribi, explains a mandarin language CHEC billboard. Delays have also plagued the project. Last year’s bankruptcy of the French logistics company NCT Necotrans meant the government had to postpone the opening of the container terminal. Despite stiff French competition, CHEC managed to persuade Cameroon that it was able to “realise its dream.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

James Arthur Edongue, chief port logistics for the Port Authority of Kribi, explains a mandarin language CHEC billboard. Delays have also plagued the project. Last year’s bankruptcy of the French logistics company NCT Necotrans meant the government had to postpone the opening of the container terminal. Despite stiff French competition, CHEC managed to persuade Cameroon that it was able to “realise its dream.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

9/11

A CHEC employee sits on a motorcycle as he speaks with workers digging near to the Port of Kribi. Since the initial agreement to build the port at Kribi was signed in 2009, 10 Chinese firms, including CHEC and its holding company, China Communications Construction Co., have obtained concessions to mine bauxite, iron ore and other minerals in Cameroon. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

A CHEC employee sits on a motorcycle as he speaks with workers digging near to the Port of Kribi. Since the initial agreement to build the port at Kribi was signed in 2009, 10 Chinese firms, including CHEC and its holding company, China Communications Construction Co., have obtained concessions to mine bauxite, iron ore and other minerals in Cameroon. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

10/11

Local fishermen clean their nets. The Kribi project also highlights CHEC’s rapid expansion on the continent. Once the project is complete, the area should comprise 20 berths, an oil and gas terminal, a 260 square-kilometer industrial zone to process timber, cotton and cocoa, and roads and railways connecting the port to Cameroon’s main cities and mines in the interior. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Local fishermen clean their nets. The Kribi project also highlights CHEC’s rapid expansion on the continent. Once the project is complete, the area should comprise 20 berths, an oil and gas terminal, a 260 square-kilometer industrial zone to process timber, cotton and cocoa, and roads and railways connecting the port to Cameroon’s main cities and mines in the interior. (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

11/11

Workers measure fixings at a store near the entrance to Kribi. Despite the sacrifices that locals are making, Cameroon needs this kind of development, said Blaise Ivouva, a village chief who works for CHEC and helped negotiate compensation for those being forced to leave their homes. “Even if our generation won’t see the benefits of this project,” he said, “at least our children will.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

Updated on Sep 01, 2018 9:46 AM

Workers measure fixings at a store near the entrance to Kribi. Despite the sacrifices that locals are making, Cameroon needs this kind of development, said Blaise Ivouva, a village chief who works for CHEC and helped negotiate compensation for those being forced to leave their homes. “Even if our generation won’t see the benefits of this project,” he said, “at least our children will.” (Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg)

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