Central Africa’s Most Ambitious Port Takes Shape
A $150 million construction contract signed in May 2026 places the Congolese building group MBTP at the center of what may become Central Africa’s most transformative port project. The deal, struck in partnership with AD Ports Group of the United Arab Emirates, covers the new Noatum Ports container terminal at Pointe-Noire, the Republic of Congo’s primary maritime gateway.
The signing ceremony took place on May 7, 2026, in Brazzaville, in the presence of the Congolese Prime Minister, signaling the government’s direct endorsement of the initiative.
A Joint Venture Built for Scale
MBTP is executing the project through a joint venture with MAR CONTRACTING SARLU. The partnership divides responsibilities across two major work streams.
The first covers maritime infrastructure: the construction of a quay wall, marine structures, and crane foundations designed to handle the largest vessel classes currently operating in the region.
The second addresses surface works, encompassing a storage zone, operational buildings, utility networks, and electrical substations. Together, these components form a fully integrated terminal facility.
Engineering Specifications
The terminal is designed to occupy 100,000 square meters of developed surface area. Its quay will extend 420 meters in length and reach a draft depth of 16 meters, sufficient to accommodate Patagonia-class vessels — among the largest container ships currently deployed on global shipping routes.
The concession framework grants the operator a 30-year operating period, with an option to extend by an additional 20 years, providing long-term planning certainty for both investors and port users.
Economic and Social Returns
Project documentation projects the creation of up to 9,000 direct and indirect jobs, of which approximately 800 are expected to materialize during the construction phase alone.
MBTP currently employs more than 1,000 people in the Republic of Congo, making it one of the country’s most significant private employers in the construction sector.
Congo’s Push for Logistics Leadership
The Pointe-Noire terminal sits within a broader national ambition. Congolese officials have consistently framed the port as a future hub for Central and West African trade.
Innocent Dimi, the Secretariat Permanent for Public-Private Partnerships who represented the government at the signing, articulated this vision directly. He described Pointe-Noire’s growing strategic importance to Congo’s aspiration to become “a major logistics and commercial hub in Africa.”
Mohamed Eidha Tannaf Al Menhali, Regional Director General for AD Ports Group’s international bureau, echoed that framing from the investor side. He described the three contracts — collectively valued at approximately $200 million when the wider framework is included — as “an important step in the realization of a commercial infrastructure project that will foster sustainable economic growth and job creation for the Republic of Congo and Central West Africa.”
Delivery Timeline and Regional Context
Construction is expected to be completed within approximately two years from the project start date.
For AD Ports Group, Pointe-Noire represents one node in a growing African network that already includes operations in Egypt, Tanzania, and Angola. The company’s engagement in Congo reinforces a pattern of Gulf-based investment in African port infrastructure that has intensified over the past several years.
MBTP’s role in this project positions it not merely as a contractor but as a key actor in reshaping the region’s commercial geography. Pointe-Noire, already the largest port between Lagos and Cape Town, is expected to gain significantly in handling capacity once the new terminal comes online.
What It Means for the Region
The CEMAC zone — the economic community encompassing six Central African states — suffers from chronic bottlenecks at its main maritime entry points. A modernized container terminal in Pointe-Noire, capable of handling next-generation vessels, could meaningfully reduce transit times and costs for landlocked neighbors such as the Central African Republic and Chad.
The project’s success will depend in equal measure on construction execution and on the broader trade environment. But the contract award to MBTP, a regionally rooted company, underscores a preference for local capacity in the delivery of large-scale public infrastructure.