 Roads and Development |
The quality of a country’s road network is a reliable indicator of its level of development and that of its domestic trade.
Conscious of reality the Cameroon government undertook to develop its road network. Through more emphasis was laid on new investments in the 80s’, today, such investments go along side maintenance works aimed at sustaining the existing network.
The slogan “Building a road is good, but maintaining it is even better aptly reflects the present ambitions of the Ministry of Public Works.
| Ministry of Public Works (MINTP): The Highways Authority. |
As the sole highways authority, the Ministry of Public Works has stood the test of various changes that have taken place here.
Since independence, national policy on road infrastructure development has laid emphasis on news investments. Major paved road axes and ambitious structural works accomplished during that period testify to this. The increasing difficulty of maintaining the widening road network led to a rethinking of Cameroon’s road policy.
Thus, the missions of the MINTP were defined to enable it take into account all the factors contributing to the safeguard of our roads.
Presently, the Ministry of Public Work is in charge of road maintenance and protection as well as the design, execution and supervision of all public works in Cameroon.
It develops sector technical standards and conducts studies in view of adapting various infrastructures to local ecosystems in conjunction with the Ministry in charge of scientific research and educational and other relevant institutions.
The MINTP also contributes to the construction and maintenance of roads in towns with less than 100,000 inhabitants
It takes part in the professional training of public works staff and is the supervisory authority over the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LABOGENIE), the national civil engineering Equipment Pool (MATGENIE) and the National Advanced School of Public Works.
| Road Classification in Cameroon |
Apart from motorways and township roads, specific nomenclature spelt out in presidential decree N°79/093 of 21 March 1979 divided Cameroon’s road network into four categories.
National roads, which link provincial headquarters to the national capital (Yaounde) and Cameroon to neighbouring countries that form the skeletal structure of the network.
The total length of this category of roads (18 in all) stands at 7241 km.
Provincial roads link up divisional headquarters within a province to the provincial capital.
Their length is 5841 km.
Divisional roads link sub divisional headquarters to the divisional headquarters. Their overall
Length: 8075 km.
Rural roads serve the countryside, plantations, local industrial zones, etc. They link up production areas to local markets or commercial centres. The length of the classified rural road network (under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works) is about 12,843km.
Of over 16,000 km, the rest of the network, exclusive of township roads, is under the care of development corporations (SODECOTON, CDC, SOCAPALM, etc) or decentralised regional authorities.
| Roads | National | Provincial | Divisional | Rural | Total (km) | | Paved Road | 3082 | 647 | 325 | 4054 | | | Earth | 4239 | 5178 | 7872 | 27935 | 45224 | | S/Total | 7321 | 5825 | 8197 | 27935 | |
| Priority Network |
Out of Cameroon’s 50,000 km road network (exclusive of township roads) about 25,000
Km is classified as priority, basing on economic importance and enhancement of regional integration .The state and donors devote a major part of road maintenance resources to this network.
This 24,710 km network (see table) comprises:
All the paved roads (4,054 km)
9,704 km of classified earth roads
10,952 km of rural roads (maximum not to be exceeded).
 PRIORITY NETWORK
| Roads |
Paved |
Earth (classified) |
Rural (km) |
Total (km)
|
| |
4054 |
9704 |
10952 |
24710 |
PRIORITY NETWORK FOR EACH PROVINCE
| Provinces |
Paved Road |
Classified earth roads (km) |
Rural roads (km)
|
| Adamawa |
263 |
953 |
491
|
| Centre |
822 |
1428 |
2992
|
| East |
92 |
1083 |
216
|
| Far-North |
582 |
816 |
1341
|
| North |
521 |
823 |
805
|
| Littoral |
514 |
582 |
583
|
| North-West |
221 |
716 |
1339
|
| West |
436 |
856 |
2014
|
| South |
415 |
1247 |
688
|
| South – West |
254 |
734 |
483
|
| Total |
4120 |
9538 |
10952
|
| Network |
Priority (P) |
Non-Priority (NP) |
Total (km)
|
| Paved Roads |
4054 |
- |
4054
|
| Classified earth roads |
9086 |
9086 |
17713
|
| Rural roads |
12353 |
8087 |
27935
|
| Total |
25488 |
23670 |
49158
|
| Earth Roads |
The inter-urban road network in Cameroon is basically an earth road. It makes up 46,000 km of the 50,000 that Cameroon now boasts of. Of the 46,000 km, the Ministry of Public Works is in charge of 30,000 km, the rest, 16, 000 km in all, excluding township roads, falls under the responsibility of development corporations or of decentralised regional authorities.
For want of adequate maintenance, the earth road network has known considerable deterioration in recent years. Classified under the priority network, 21,438 km of earth roads will henceforth be regularly maintained.
| Paved Roads |
(See table of road distribution in Cameroon)
At 4,054 km today, Cameroon’s paved road network will soon widen given the many paved road projects under way, e.g.: Bertoua –Garoua Boulai (248 km), Eseka –Lolodorf (56 km), Ngaoundere – Touboro-Moundou (378 km).
|
Many other projects like the Ebolowa –Ambam-Gabonese border road should soon be launched to enable Cameroon increase its paved road network.
A 1995 survey by the Department of Roads revealed that 1,240 km of the network were in good condition, 1,280 km in acceptable condition and 1,236 km in bad shape. These data have not been updated. But it is certain that the roads have deteriorated further, maintenance having been relented over the last few years, for obvious reasons.
| Rural Roads |
These are the roads that link up various areas in the countryside including industrial zones.
Given its size, 12,843 km, this network is of great economic importance. They enhance trade between production areas and urban centres, helping, thus, to open up our villages and countryside. In order to involve local populations and economic agents in simple aspects of rural roads maintenance, a new strategy is being worked out.
International Cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works
Developing a viable road sector is a major goal of foreign assistance to Cameroon. The country benefits from the support of many partners in drawing up its road infrastructure programmes and executing its projects.
This financial and technical assistance plays a vital role in the conduct of reforms and in the realisation of major investment projects under the Transport Sectoral Programme (PST).
Cameroon’s main donors in the road sector are:
The European development Fund (EDF)
The African Development Bank (ADB)
The World Bank (under the IDA program)
The French Development Agency (AFD)
The German Technical Co-operation Mission (GTZ)
| The European Development Fund |
This European Union financing mechanism is Cameroon’s highest provider of funds for road infrastructure, second only to the State. The EDF is currently financing four types of programmes, namely:
The STABEX,
The PASS- FED,
National and regional projects.
The STABEX is aimed at rehabilitating rural roads and/ or the classified network of coffee and cocoa-producing areas. Presently on -going in the South West Province, this program, which is in its fourth year, has carried out projects in the Centre, South, East, Littoral and West Provinces. The programme is co-ordinated by the STABEX Unit under PER-FED 2 (Second European Union Funded Road maintenance Programme) the government recently received a 34,000 million financial package.
On its part, the PASS-FED falls within the purview of the Structural Adjustment Programme and is concerned with the maintenance of 1800 km of roads dotted all over the country.
| The World Bank |
A projects unit situated at the Roads Department follows up these projects. Under the IDA programme, 22,000 million CFA francs were spent on rehabilitation works.
Besides road projects financing, the World Bank assists Cameroon under the Road Management initiative and the Rural Transport programme.
The World Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, to help African countries South of the Sahara to define appropriate road policies, have jointly initiated these programmes.
The French Development
AGENCY (AFD) |
The French Development Agency is a public establishment, part of the French development aid system .It is a key partner in the implementation of the Transport Sectoral Programme. Its assistance falls in line with the IMF – backed Structural Adjustment Programme (signed on 20 August 1997). The AFD financial assistance contributes to the realisation of many road projects.
| The African Development Bank |
Given the nature of its funding the African Development Bank is a major partner in Cameroon’s road reform drive. Apart from the acquisition of rolling stock and civil engineering equipment, the ABD finances many other projects in the form of special loans.
| The German Cooperation Mission |
Since 1977, the German Corporation Mission has contributed to the development of Cameroon’s paved roads sector, building a number of roads (e.g. the Edea-Kribi and the recently received Bambui Fundong roads), training staff and supplying equipment for the maintenance of paved roads, etc. Today, its assistance is mainly technical, consisting under the paved road maintenance privatisation project (PERB) in the seeing to it that all paved roads maintenance work hitherto done using direct labour is transferred to the private sector.
This entails:
Selling all paved roads maintenance equipment acquired through German financing
Organising and training staff of SME of the paved roads maintenance sector
Cameroon’s other partners include the Islamic Development Bank, Japan etc.
Useful address
National Advanced School of Public Works (ENSTP)
This training institution comes under the supervisory authority of the Ministry of Public Works.
Created on October 4th 1982 to replace six year old National School of Technology, the ENSTP offers 2- or 3- years training courses for senior technical assistants and engineers in civil engineering, rural engineering, topography and surveying, and town planning.
In 1998 it instituted a 2- year specialisation cycle to train senior executives in road heritage management. There is an ENSTP annex in Buea.
Contact: Mr George Nkeng, Director
Tel (237) 22 04 06 / (237) 23 09 44
The MINTP also has Public Works Training Centres in Garoua and Akolinga under its supervision. These centres offer refresher courses to MINTP staff in paved roads and earth roads maintenance techniques.
Our Roads,
Our joint effort,
Our common future
FOR BETTER DAYS AHEAD, LET’S PROTECT OUR ROADS |
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