ADB approves 12 billion for Ring Road Project

The construction of the road will go a long way to improve on the living conditions of the population of the North West Region.

Cynthia EFOPA      

The African Development Bank has granted a loan to Cameroon to the tune of twelve billion for the construction of the 357 kilometers Ring road in the North West Region. This was concretized during the last Board Meeting of the African Development Bank that held in Abidjan.

The tarring of this road that cuts across Bamenda-Ndop-Kumbo-Nkambe-Misaje-Nyos-Weh-Wum and Bamenda will go a long way to improve on the socio-economic growth of the North West Region. For many years, the government of Cameroon earmarked the tarring of the road which is the Number 11 National road of the nation but could not carry out the project due to lack of sufficient funding.  That notwithstanding, government made efforts to construct the Ndop-Kumbo 60.5 km stretch of the road with the hope to complete the entire project when the necessary funds are mobilized.

With the loan from the African Development Bank, the project that stands at a total sum of 143 billion will witnessed considerable advancement. Upon completion, the road which passes across six Divisional capitals of the seven Divisions of the North West Region will facilitate the transportation of persons and goods. Farm crops cultivated in the divisions will be easily transported to markets in other divisional headquarters thereby increasing the economic power of farmers in the region and improving on their standards of living.

The Ring Road project falls under the framework of the Strategic Document for Growth and Employment 2010-2020 lunched by the government of Cameroon to construct good and accessible road networks all around the country and linking Cameroon to neighboring nations in a bid to increase economic growth.  It is hoped that the project will trigger employment of over 30.000 youths, favor the creation of job by women, considerable reduce time wasted in plying the roads and facilitate the transportation of market products.

According to the press release made public by the African Development Bank after granting the loan to Cameroon, this is the third time the institution is intervening to support the modernization and construction of the road transport sector in Cameroon.