Cameroon has abundant world-class bauxite resources and has long been constrained by transportation shortcomings, making it difficult to export on a large scale. Now the first batch of domestically produced locomotives have arrived in Hong Kong for debugging, breaking through key logistics bottlenecks and laying a solid foundation for mineral resources to go abroad.

Capacity upgrade

Recently, 7 mainline diesel locomotives manufactured by CRRC Ziyang arrived at Douala Port in Cameroon and officially entered the commissioning stage, serving the local Minim Martap bauxite project ore transportation work. The supporting transportation vehicles are advancing synchronously, and 60 ore open trucks produced by Indian companies are about to be delivered, with the remaining 100 to be delivered in the third quarter of the year. The landing of the entire transportation equipment marks the official transition of the project from the mining development stage to a new stage of large-scale export. The project has established a complete mining, road, railway, and port logistics system. The first phase has a monthly wet ore transportation capacity of 35000 tons, and after the expansion of the second phase, the monthly transportation capacity will be increased to 105000 tons.

Improvement of road network quality

The local 330 kilometer railway section is undergoing modernization and renovation with a total investment of 243 million euros. It is expected to be completed by 2028 and will receive funding support from the European Union and the European Investment Bank. After the renovation, the speed of passenger and freight trains has significantly increased, fully adapting to the demand for ore transportation. The investors continue to deepen their involvement in the local logistics system, increasing their shareholding in local railway enterprises to 26.9%. By deeply participating in railway operations, they ensure the long-term stability of mineral transportation and help Cameroon solidify its position in the global bauxite supply chain.Editor/Min Jing