Bible depot to be built in Cameroon’s commercial gateway

DOUALA, Cameroon — For many years, the Bible Society of Cameroon (BSC) has dreamt of building a depot in the rapidly growing city of Douala – now the country’s largest city. Situated at the mid-point of Cameroon’s coastline and sheltered by the spurs of a natural harbour, its busy port has become the country’s main link with the outside world.

Many thousands of Scriptures arrive in Douala every year from destinations as diverse as South Korea, England and Kenya, for transportation to the Bible Society’s base in Yaoundé. From there they are transported to cities throughout the country and, sometimes, to Cameroon’s landlocked neighbours.

Yet it is only now, with funds from Opportunity 21, that the Society has the resources to fulfil its dream and build a storage facility for these Scripture shipments – a development that has been wholeheartedly welcomed by Mr Roger Bombang, BSC Public Relations and Fundraising Officer.

Storage space

“For many years I was the distribution officer based in Douala, and I spent a lot of my time looking after shipments of Scriptures from all over the world,” he said. “We always had problems of storage space and, for a long time, we have desperately needed a large depot to store and manage everything that comes through the port.”

Mr Bombang firmly believes that the new depot, when built, will not only alleviate the Bible Society’s problems of storage in Douala, but also boost distribution.

“It is often the case that people focus on increasing the actual numbers of Scriptures distributed rather than improving the means to distribute them,” he explained. “Nearly always, when attempts are made to improve the means of distribution, whether it be better warehousing or vehicles, the number of Scriptures distributed increases. That will no doubt be the case when this depot is built.”

Scriptures arriving in Cameroon through Douala are currently sent to Yaoundé, where they are stored for onward transportation. Mr Bombang believes that the new depot in Douala will simplify the Society’s distribution network.

“We do not need all our Scriptures ending up in Yaoundé, which is east of Douala,” he commented. “Most Scriptures in English, for example, would be distributed in western Cameroon from Bamenda, so it would be more logical to transport them straight there from the Douala depot. When we have our Douala depot, we will also be able to reach southern parts of the country without needing to use our Yaoundé warehouse.

“For me, a depot at Douala has always seemed a natural development for the BSC. Now, thanks to O-21, it will become a reality,” he added.

Expensive

The BSC is currently looking for suitable premises for the new depot but, in a rapidly developing city like Douala, it is not an easy task. “It seems impossible to find somewhere suitable near the town centre – everything is now so expensive,” said Mr Bombang.

The Society has, however, found a possible location in the newer suburb of Bonaberie, which is owned by an astute businessman who is selling off portions of his land to businesses at a premium.

“He is keen for the Bible Society to purchase a large section to build the new depot here because he is a Christian,” noted Mr Bombang. “He has offered us a very reasonable rate and we are seriously considering this option.”