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Cameroon’s Sotrabus Opens First Bus Assemby Plant

At a factory in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala, workers are assembling new buses, ready to take on some of Africa’s toughest roads. The plant, which … Continue reading Cameroon’s Sotrabus Opens First Bus Assemby Plant


cameroon’s Sotrabus
Cameroon’s Sotrabus

At a factory in Cameroon’s economic capital Douala, workers are assembling new buses, ready to take on some of Africa’s toughest roads.

The plant, which is owned by Cameroonian bus company Société De Transformation De Bus (Sotrabus), has been running for two years — assembling passenger buses, which are sold locally and in Central African markets.

Car manufacturing is non-existent in Cameroon and rare elsewhere in Africa, where large numbers of second-hand vehicles are often imported from Asia and Europe.

A 92 billion-CFA Franc ($158 million) agreement signed between Cameroon, an Indian and two Chinese firms to build two vehicle plants in Cameroon in 2015 is yet to yield any results.

But Cameroon is hoping that supporting more assemble factories that usually bolt together imported kit, will grow into a network of factories that can manufacture cars.

At Sotrabus, some bus parts are imported from Europe — including the chassis, the engine, the gear box and the breaking system, while the body, upholstery and other accessories are done locally.

“Our main goal is to be able to expand in the region, especially in the CEMAC regional bloc. That’s our biggest project at the moment and we would like to manufacture at least four buses per month because we have realised that demand is growing, and we want to meet customer demands,” said Sotrabus official,” David Nchenouossi.

So far, Sotrabus has made around 60 buses, with 45, 50 and 70 seats, all for the local market. With increased demand, the company said it aims to make 2 buses a month and to eventually expand into the region.

With one locally assembled bus selling for between 72,000 USD and 81,000 USD compared to spending 127,000 USD to import one, Sotrabus officials say the cheaper cost of its buses has contributed to its popularity.

“I think that this will contribute greatly to the economy because we are now manufacturing our own buses here. That brings us a lot of joy that we now have made in Cameroon buses. That’s really good. Gone are the days where we would take the old buses, and then we couldn’t even reach where we were going because the buses used to break down all the time,” said a passenger, David Tchoffo.

“With the old buses, we couldn’t go two weeks without experiencing mechanical problems. Once we were on the road, just for a few trips, we would start having technical problems, so those types of second-hand buses were not convenient. But the buses that are made here are very comfortable. With this bus, for example, I have been driving it for the last four months and I have only been to the garage once for maintenance,” said bus driver Ambroise Dogmo.

For now, Cameroon is still has a small sector when it comes to car manufacturing in Africa. South Africa and Morocco fully manufacture vehicles making more than 600,000 and 200,000 every year, respectively. Egypt, Sudan, and Kenya also assemble vehicles.

Reuters