Designated international arbitrator in the “Practitioners” category on the proposal of the President of the Paris Maritime Arbitration Chamber (CAMP), Pr Philippe Delebecque, the general director of the National Council of Shippers of Cameroon has been an international arbitrator since June 28, 2024 on the favorable opinion of the Advisory Commission and the Council.
“I am committed to assuming these new responsibilities with honor, dignity and independence for the influence of our dear and beautiful country.” This assertion by the promoted person not only highlights the work he has done since his arrival in 2006 at the head of the National Council of Shippers of Cameroon, but also the Maritime diplomacy orchestrated by the Cameroonian authorities.
The first Cameroonian to access the position of Arbitrator within the Maritime Arbitration Chamber of Paris, Auguste Mbappe Penda is a man full of experiences. Between participation in symposiums, international seminars and numerous conferences, the promoted only reaps the fruits of his perpetual commitment in the maritime sector, to the point of arousing admiration and recognition on the international scene. From his feats of arms, it should be remembered that Auguste Mbappe Penda arrived in January 2006 at the head of the Cncc at a time when the structure had been marking time for nine years.
Under his ongoing leadership, several reforms and initiatives have emerged. Since 2015, there has been the construction of infrastructure dedicated to facilitating international trade, including living centers built for the safety and security of road transporters on the Douala/Kribi and Ndjamena Bangui corridors. In order to reduce port congestion, warehouses have been built.
Still on the local level, regional branches of the Cncc have been built in several cities in Cameroon to better respond to the requests of users and shippers. In addition, and to improve the capacities of shippers, we will mention the opening of a training center; a documentation center; a shipper’s cyber and an information center while not forgetting the commissioning of the maritime museum of Douala.
In addition to these achievements, on the international level, thanks to the management of Auguste Mbappe Penda, the Cncc now has a representation in Paris, in order to provide local assistance to the country’s shippers and visibility of Cameroon’s foreign trade abroad.
In fine, Auguste Mbappe Penda is now a reference not only in Cameroon but in Africa. From memory, the new international arbitrator participated on September 24, 2015 in Paris, in the Economic Day on the Cameroonian maritime transport sector; in the international seminar on the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (Isps Code), from March 9 to 13, 2000 in Kribi. We could also cite, in a non-exhaustive manner, the international seminar on “the Rotterdam rules: what contribution for Africa”, held from March 18 to 19, 2010 in Yaoundé; the reflection on maritime arbitration and alternative methods of dispute resolution; the international seminar on the transport of dangerous goods by sea in June 2011 and finally the international symposium on “the challenges of maritime insurance in African countries” held from June 21 to 23, 2023 in Kribi.
