Gabonese customs and the member companies of the Gabonese Business Federation (FEG in french) concluded an agreement on Friday 21 October which will allow the port of Owendo to be decongested and to increase by 40% the activities of the port, the main entry and exit point for goods in Gabon.
It is an agreement that will significantly increase the competitiveness and, therefore, the attractiveness of the country.
Whereas in the past they stopped work at 3.30 pm like all other Gabonese civil servants, Gabonese customs officers agree to continue working until 7 pm.
«The extension of the working hours of the Customs is aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Port and the availability of products on the market,» indicated a communiqué published by the FEG on Friday 21st October following the signing of the agreement.
According to some sources, this agreement could be applied «from January to March next year.» If it proves successful, it will then be extended in terms of the range of hours, thus allowing the port of Owendo to be operational 24 hours a day, as in most ports in Africa and the world.
This «responds to the desire of users and actors in the logistics chain to better satisfy their customers,» explains the FEG in its press release.
«Building together a strong economy to guarantee national sovereignty,» said Alain-Claude Kouakoua, vice-president of the FEG, and co-signatory of the agreement alongside the Director General of Customs, Boris Admina Atchougou.
