By Samuel Daka, in Douala
Following its first board meeting, Cameroonian oil marketer Tradex appointed Philippe Attang Atomb Bekondj as the CEO of its subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This judicious choice fell on the 47-year-old professional who has spent 15 of his 18-year career in downstream petroleum with Tradex, a company established in 1999 by the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH).
Before joining Tradex in 2004, the marketing graduate already had experience in petroleum product sales, having started at Total (now TotalEnergies) that same year.
« As Deputy Commercial Director of Tradex Cameroon, Philippe Attang achieved a turnover of 311 billion CFA francs, with an average annual sales and revenue growth of 6% »
This positions him well for Tradex, where he has consistently worked on marketing products, optimizing client portfolios, and driving revenue growth. His resume highlights that as Deputy Commercial Director of Tradex Cameroon from 2021 until his current appointment, he and his 22 colleagues generated a turnover of 311 billion CFA francs, with an average annual sales and revenue growth of 6%.
According to Board Chairman (BCA) Igor Emmanuel Soya Bissaya, Tradex DRC extends the ambitions of its parent company, which « continues to take structuring actions that reinforce its position as a leader in key segments of Africa’s petroleum sector. » For Bissaya, who was elected on the same day as CEO Attang, one month after assuming the same role at Chanas Assurances SA (another SNH subsidiary), the profile of Tradex DRC’s first CEO aligns with the Cameroonian marketer’s ambitions for the DRC. This is a market where fuel distribution is estimated at $1 billion USD, alongside $600–700 million USD of petroleum products imported directly by mining operators.
« The new CEO of Tradex DRC intends to position the company as one of the local market leaders alongside Engen Petroleum, TotalEnergies, and Cobil, the top three in the Congolese market »
Analysts and petroleum distribution experts agree that logistics will be Philippe Attang’s primary challenge in establishing Tradex in the Congolese market. Several options are available to this SNH subsidiary to move quickly, including a potential partnership with an existing player in the market ready to sell its assets. This includes storage capacities exceeding 10,000 m³ of diesel and over 1,000 m³ of gasoline, located in a strategic area for imports to western DRC, as well as a fleet of tanker trucks, a river barge, and two service stations.
The new CEO of Tradex DRC also aims to position the company as one of the local market leaders, competing with Engen Petroleum, TotalEnergies, and Cobil, the current top three. To achieve this, Tradex plans to broaden its reach by covering « the essential parts of the downstream petroleum value chain. » Activities include distributing petroleum products (including domestic gas) through a network of service stations and consumption points on production sites, fueling aircraft at the country’s airports, and supplying ships and other vessels operating in Congolese waters.
A starting capital of 2.5 billion CFA francs, approximately $40 million USD, supports these initiatives. While it is still unclear if this capital has been fully released, many agree that « establishing the distribution chain will require more significant investment in a vast country like the DRC (over 2 million km²), which also suffers from a lack of transportation infrastructure. »
