The government of Cameroon has announced that construction works on the national road No. 11 in the restive North West Region popularly known as the Bamenda Ring Road – a 30 year long promised of the Head of State, Paul Biya which is still to be completed, will resume by the end of this year.
The announcement was made by the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, Alamine Ousmane Mey.
Mey was speaking shortly after signing a FCFA 106 billion loan agreement on behalf of government with the Director General of the African Development Bank, AfDB, for Central Africa, Serge N’Guessan.
The signing in Yaounde took place in the presence of Minister Ibrahim Talba Malla of Public Contracts, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi of Public Works and other government members as well as the Governor of the North West Region, Adolf Lele L’Afrique and the President of the NW Regional Assembly, Prog. Fru Angwafo III.
The MINEPAT said the money will enable government to construct the ring road, will help bring peace in the region, open up its agro-pastoral basins and increase trade with neighbouring Nigeria. The project will also lead to the opening up of urban roads and the construction of social amenities.
“This signing ceremony is an important event for Cameroon. It is in line with the aspirations of the President of the Republic to promote the development of the entire nation. After the signing of this important agreement, we are dedicating 106 billion to the financing of the ring road,” Mey revealed, adding the completion of the ring road has been seen as a solution to attaining stability and normalcy in the region.
“…we see that the road is going to be considered as the road to more peace, stability, security and development. When the road is constructed, development follows. The region will therefore see its potential based on the construction of this road,” Mey added.
On his part, Serge N’Guessan said the road is going to serve as a backbone of development in the region which has a lot of potential. He said government and the AfDB are working together to make the road happen for the good of the population this time around.
“The people of the NW have been waiting for the ring road. Here finally it is. The population, the elite and everyone will get together and work as one person that we can reap the fruit of this important agreement and make sure that the socio-economic and political development that we have been waiting for takes off,” Prof. Angwafo III said.
The announced resumption of works on the project is made at a time conflict is still deepening in the region where many development projects have been stalled as a result of insecurity. The AfDB loan adds to the FCFA 12 billion it earlier gave for technical studies within the framework of the said project.
The project which has dragged on for 30 years still uncompleted cuts across five out of the seven Divisions that make up the North West region; Mezam, Ngoketundjia, Bui, Donga Mantung and Menchum Divisions.
This road runs from Bamenda-Bambui-Ndop-Babessi-Kumbo-Nkambe-Misaje- Nyos-Wum-Bafut then back to Bameda. The road project shares borders with Nigeria and is said to be an essential link to boost, development, trade integration between Cameroon and Nigeria
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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