The President of the Repubic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso has encouraged member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community CEMAC to make concrete efforts toward regional integration.
Denis Sassou Nguesso made the call, as he inaugurated a 312 km road linking his country’s capital Brazzaville to Cameroon’s head city Yaounde.
Pleased with the execution of the project, President Sassou Nguesso however bemoaned the inconsistent moves taken by his peers to guarantee regional integration in their countries.
“Take the case of Congo, it is connected to Cameroon, we are there. Congo connected to the Central African Republic, we are not there yet.” He lamented.
He is however optimistic that, the interconnection of member countries will one day be a reality as plans already in place to linked the Democratic Republic of Congo to his country through a rail road bridge on the Congo river.
The project constructed by Chinese company Sinohydro Tianji Engineering Corporation Ltd begins from Ketta in Congo to Ntam on the Cameroon side. The 180 million US Dollar road, pre-financed 90% by the African Development Bank constitutes an ambitious plan of the Economic Community of Central African States ECCAS to link the capitals of its member states.
Locals say the road has come as a blessing to them as it facilitates commercial exchanges between Cameroon and Congo. The Congolese were used to importing and consuming Cameroon beer, clothes and food. But they are optimistic that, they too now have a chance of exporting their produce to Yaounde and Douala.
On the Cameroonian side however, the portion is yet to be completed. Of the five construction lots, only the Djoum-Mintom section (98 km) is already operational. The other road sections, namely Sangmelima-Bikoula (65 km), Bikoula-Djoum (38km), Mintom-Lélé (67.50 km) and LéLé-Ntam-Mbalam (53km) are advancing at snail’s pace. Even if other road sections, like that of Mintom-Lélé-Ntam-Mbalam, are almost complete.
Cameroon’s Public Works Minister, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi has promised to take all necessary measures to complete the project by the end of this year. This road project follows the laying of the foundation stone by Chadian President, Idriss Deby Itno for the construction of a bridge on the Logone River to connect Cameroon and Chad.
