Cameroon's prime minister Mr Edgar Alain Mebe unveiled the locomotives, which are valued at $US 22m, and were manufactured by South African company Grindrod, during a ceremony on October 19. The units have a haulage capacity of up to 1500 tonnes.

In addition to new locomotives and rolling stock, by 2020 Camrail, a subsidiary of Bollore Group, will revamp the Douala - Kumba, Douala - Yaounde and Yaounde - Ngaoundere lines it operates under its concession agreement, which runs until 2034.