Coastline Development: Master Plan In Gestation

The National Port Authority (APN) is in the process of drafting a Coastal Development and Protection Master Plan. In this regard the institution contracted the Korea Port Engineering Corporation (KORPEC) in 2015 to carry out a study in coastal regions of Cameroon for the establishment of the instrument. Results of the study were presented in Yaounde on November 29, 2018 in a seminar opened by the Minister of Transport, Ernest Ngalle Bibehe Massena. The Director General of the National Port Authority, Youmba Josue, said the move falls in line with the duties of the institution which, among other things, includes the task of controlling compliance with port environment protection rules. Ngoe Christopher, Cameroonian consultant who worked with KORPEC on the study, said they focused on identifying the causes of degradation of coastal zones and developing strategies for development and protection of coastlines in a sustainable manner. The study carried out along the banks of the Atlantic Ocean, stretching several kilometers from the South West, through the Littoral to the South Regions, revealed constant erosion and destruction of mangroves by human activity. Ngoe Christopher also said some of the areas, particularly Limbe, are prone to landslides and floods and that people in these areas use sandbags to prevent sea water from flowing into settlements. Some villages are equally disappearing due to high sea levels. “The master plan that would be produced at the end of this process, will ensure that while working on infrastructure and indust...