Tiko

Tiko is a town and port in Fako Division, South-West Region, on the Bimbia River near the Gulf of Guinea, about 19 km east of Limbe and within sight of Mount Cameroon. Originally called "Keka" by the Bakweri people, it grew into a market town serving Douala fishermen, Bakweri farmers, and hunters, and later into an industrial centre dominated by the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), which produces rubber, bananas, and palm oil; the Delmonte-linked banana operations here are among Cameroon's largest agricultural exporters. The 2012 census recorded a population of about 78,885. Tiko's port has handled agricultural exports (coffee, cocoa, bananas, rubber, palm produce) for decades, though redevelopment plans for the port have repeatedly stalled. Tiko International Airport, once a working airfield, fell into disuse after Cameroon's federation and is no longer operational.

By Plane

Tiko's own airport is no longer operational; the nearest working airports are Douala International Airport (the main gateway for this part of Cameroon) and the airstrip at Buea.

By Car / Road

Tiko sits on the main coastal road between Douala and Limbe/Buea, making it an easy stop or transit point by taxi or bus.

Tiko's town centre is walkable; moto-taxis cover the wider municipality and plantation areas.

• Likomba Golf Course — an 18-hole course near Tiko, one of only two golf courses in Cameroon.
• The CDC's banana and rubber plantations around the town, and views of Mount Cameroon from several points in town.

Tiko's market is described as one of the best-known in West Africa for produce trading, reflecting the town's role as an agricultural collection point.

Limbe (black-sand beaches) is about 19 km west; Douala, Cameroon's largest city and main port, and Buea, at the foot of Mount Cameroon, are both reachable by road.