Kribi Deep Seaport Project: Visible socio-economic impact

Kribi town has been witnessing some metamorphosis to stand up to the billing of a port’s city.

From the hitherto ‘village’ of the yesteryears in both the physical outlook and the mentality of the inhabitants, the sea-side resort town of Kribi has been witnessing some modernism of late thanks to the yet-to-be-inaugurated Kribi Deep Seaport constructed in Mboro, some 35 km from town.

Infrastructure of all sorts are emerging in the city and investors thronging therein to set base and reap the benefits that come with seaports especially a deep one like that of Kribi.

The Road Network, Town’s Facelift

From the entrance of the town through major streets like Ngoye-Nkolbiteng business centre, roads have been enlarged and bridges constructed, making circulation easier especially as heavy-duty trucks now frequently ply the road. This was thanks to partnership between the Coordination Unit of the Kribi Deep Seaport and Razel Cameroun that also paved the first section of the access road to the Kribi Deep Seaport site. According to Alain Mbena of the ports Coordination Unit, the embellishing works in Kribi town financed by the unit through the Public Investment Budget consisted in rehabilitating over 22 urban roads totaling about 20 km.

Meanwhile, in a chat with Cameroon Tribune in Kribi, the Director of Giant Works in the Kribi City Council, Marc Ndome said city dwellers qualify the already constructed and fit-for-use Kribi Deep Seaport as well as the city’s new look as “Greater Accomplishment of the Head of State which is already changing a lot in the socio-economic life of the people.”

There were also serious demolitions last year to get rid of haphazard construction especially on the road course. With the demolition, giant buildings are sprouting in the city now gradually transforming it into a port town. “Life is changing in Kribi. It was a village and we are working to make it a town. Houses that were hitherto given out at FCFA 50,000 today range between FCFA 75,000 to FCFA 80,000. Not only have the prices stepped up but the rate at which people are occupying them has equally increased,” Marc Ndome told CT.

Hotels and food have also witnessed hikes in their prices as more and more people throng the city. The newly-inaugurated office of a National Shippers Council in Kribi tells of the city’s irresistible metamorphosis and readiness to vibrate to the rhyme of the port. However, inhabitants need to take care of the still visible untidy surroundings of some living homes even in the city centre.

Investors Getting Interested

Diverse sources in town said so many investors are thronging Kribi town to seek business opportunities. According to the Director of Giant Works in the Kribi City Council, most of the investors are interested in social housing. “When they come, we send to the port’s coordination committee given that the port is a complex with a new town in view,” Marc Ndome said. He noted that studies have already been carried out on the ‘New Kribi town,’ and the City Council has also come up with a plan for the occupation of land in Kribi.

This is to ensure that as people scramble for land acquisition, they should not put on just anything anywhere. “The advantage here is that people have not yet occupied all the land and we tell them to always get building permits so as not to build today and break tomorrow for a road to pass,” he added.