On Saturday, July 5, 2025, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio, Christian YOKA, concluded his working visit to Pointe-Noire by visiting the headquarters of the Congolese Shippers' Council (CCC), where he was welcomed by Director General Koumou Boulhas.

The Congolese Shippers' Council occupies a central position in the freight transport ecosystem in Congo. This specialized institution is responsible for national freight transport policy and ensures control over the growth of costs inherent to the activities of transport professionals.

During his presentation to the Minister of Finance, Koumou Boulhas detailed the fundamental missions of his organization. The CCC actively contributes to reducing the costs associated with the transport of goods for import and export, including all available modes of transportation.

The institution also conducts consultations and negotiations with all stakeholders in the supply chain: shipowners serving Congolese ports, port authorities, transport auxiliaries, as well as river, road, rail, and air carriers on pricing conditions. This comprehensive approach optimizes transport conditions for Congolese economic operators.

The Director General presented the main achievements of the Congolese Shippers' Council, demonstrating its dynamism and investment capacity. The acquisition of a headquarters building and land assets in Dolisie, Niari, illustrates the institution's territorial development strategy.

The construction of a modern goods storage warehouse in Dolisie meets the logistics needs of the region's economic operators. This modern infrastructure contributes to improving goods storage and distribution conditions.

Furthermore, the CCC has developed the BESC (Electronic Cargo Tracking Document), an innovative electronic document that contains more information than the traditional Bill of Landing (BL). This enhanced document provides information on the supplier, the price of the goods, the quantity, and other essential data, thus improving the traceability and transparency of commercial operations.

Major Logistics Challenges Identified

The Director General presented a revealing study on transportation costs and port transit times in Congo. This analysis highlights that transportation and logistics costs in Congo are the highest in the sub-region, a situation that has unfortunately diverted traffic from landlocked countries like the Central African Republic to ports in other countries.

This issue underscores the urgent need for corrective action to restore the competitiveness of the Congolese logistics corridor and regain lost market share.

The Director General expressed regret that Congo's logistics index was only 1.6 out of 5, a disappointing performance attributable to the lack of certain essential infrastructure such as parking areas, as well as high logistics costs. This situation compromises the country's competitiveness in the transport and logistics sector.

Minister Christian Yoka's visit to the Congolese Shippers' Council highlights the considerable challenges facing the Congolese logistics sector. The findings call for concerted action to improve infrastructure, reduce costs, and strengthen the competitiveness of the national logistics system.

The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio