CNCC Adds Banks and Mobile Money to Its Growing Roadside Service Centers

Cameroon’s National Shippers’ Council (CNCC) is looking for a financial partner to operate mini bank branches and Mobile Money kiosks at its roadside service centers, expanding its strategy to turn these facilities into business hubs along the country’s main freight corridors.

The state-owned company has issued a call for expressions of interest, with applications due by July 23, 2026. The first phase will cover the Dibamba service center near Douala before expanding to Kousséri, Ngoulentang, Garoua-Boulaï, and Ngaoundéré.

According to the tender notice, the selected partner will provide banking and digital financial services to truck drivers, other users of the centers, and nearby communities.

The project forms part of CNCC’s broader effort to modernize its infrastructure and diversify services along the Douala-Bangui and Douala-N’Djamena transport corridors.

Roadside Centers Expand Into Multi-Service Hubs

The new initiative follows another project launched earlier this year to install gas stations at several CNCC service centers. On March 23, 2026, the company sought a technical and financial partner to design, finance, build, operate, and maintain gas stations in Ngoulentang, Garoua-Boulaï, and Kousséri.

The project includes fuel and lubricant distribution as well as related services under either a public-private partnership or a concession agreement. CNCC has since selected Tradex, a subsidiary of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), to develop and operate the facilities.

With gas stations now planned alongside financial services, the company aims to transform its roadside centers into integrated hubs for road transport. The sites are designed to bring together fuel, parking, restaurants, lodging, and services that support truck drivers in one location.

Bringing Financial Services Closer to Transport Workers

The addition of banking and Mobile Money services targets a sector where truck drivers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and other logistics operators carry out financial transactions on a regular basis. These include road fees, money transfers, salary payments, fuel purchases, essential goods, and other freight-related expenses.

By offering financial services directly at the service centers, CNCC hopes to reduce the need for drivers to leave secure areas and make it easier for them to complete transactions while waiting or resting.

The centers were originally built to reduce the number of trucks parked along highways, a practice that increases the risk of accidents, theft, and insecurity for both drivers and cargo.

Having banking services on-site could also make the facilities more attractive and encourage greater use by transport operators.

A New Market for Banks and Mobile Money Operators

For banks and Mobile Money providers, the service centers offer direct access to transport and logistics businesses operating along the trade corridors linking Cameroon with the Central African Republic and Chad. Potential customers include drivers in transit, truck owners, customs brokers, traders, logistics company employees, and nearby residents.

Mini branches and kiosks would also allow financial institutions to expand their physical presence at a lower cost than opening a traditional bank branch.

The model could prove particularly well suited to Mobile Money operators, whose deposit, withdrawal, and transfer services are already widely used for everyday transactions.

Commercial success, however, will depend on several factors, including traffic at each site, transaction volumes, security conditions, telecom network coverage, and the financial terms agreed with CNCC.

New Revenue Stream for CNCC

For CNCC, the project could generate additional revenue through lease payments, concession fees, or revenue-sharing arrangements, depending on the business model ultimately adopted.

The initiative would also help increase the value of infrastructure that has already been built while strengthening the economic model of the service centers beyond their original role of providing safe rest areas for truck drivers.

By combining gas stations, restaurants, lodging, and financial services, CNCC hopes to turn its roadside centers into major economic hubs along Cameroon’s main transit corridors.

The project’s success will ultimately depend on the company’s ability to attract financial institutions willing to invest in sites that are sometimes far from major urban centers while ensuring transaction volumes are high enough to support profitable operations.

Frédéric Nonos