Port of Douala: Capef boosts cocoa storage capacity with two 2,000 m² warehouses

(Investing in Cameroon) - The Cameroon Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock, and Forestry (Capef) is building two warehouses totaling 2,000 m² in the port area of Douala to optimize cocoa storage and export. The work, the cost of which has not been disclosed, began in 2025: a first 1,000 m² warehouse was completed at the end of 2025. Already operational, it received its first shipments in early 2026.

The second warehouse, also covering 1,000 m², is under construction and is due to be completed in July 2026. Once the entire project is delivered, the site will offer a total storage capacity of around 11,000 tons of cocoa. The facility is complemented by a 4,500 m² outdoor area dedicated to container logistics and unloading trucks from production areas.

According to a source within CAPEF, this capacity will enable the processing of nearly 100,000 tons per season, thanks to a rapid stock turnover of approximately two weeks of transit time. The institution is making these investments as part of a strategy to strengthen Cameroon's agricultural supply chain.

The initiative comes at a time when cocoa is establishing itself as the country's leading export product. During the 2024-2025 season, Cameroon exported 192,013 tons, up 6,400 tons year-on-year, for revenues of 732.2 billion CFA francs. Cocoa accounts for 42.94% of the CFAF 1,705.4 billion in export revenues earned in the first half of 2025, according to the latest economic report from the Ministry of Finance.

This momentum is driven by rising prices: cocoa prices rose by 147.7% in 2024, due to a decline in global supply linked to unfavorable weather conditions in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. For CAPEF, the challenge is to capitalize on this situation by improving logistics, with a twofold objective: to reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen the competitiveness of Cameroonian cocoa exports.