(Business in Cameroon) – Egyptian construction company Arab Contractors Cameroon Ltd has started rehabilitating the Olembé-Obala Interchange section of National Highway 1, according to a June 13 statement from Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi.
The company won the contract following a restricted tender process launched by the ministry in March 2024. Arab Contractors has 24 months to complete the work on this 22 km stretch, which passes through the Mfoundi, Mefou and Afamba, and Lekié departments in the Central region. The project involves doubling the road to 2×2 lanes.
Minister Nganou Djoumessi stated that the expansion of the Olembé-Obala Interchange section will be co-financed by the State of Cameroon and the Development Bank of Central African States (Bdeac). The project will cost CFA22.7 billion, with technical oversight by a consortium of Cameroonian engineering firms Integc, Sinogeo, and GE for a total of CFA1.2 billion. The funds come from the remaining loans provided by Bdeac for other road projects, including Batchenga-Ntui-Yoko-Lena, Ketta-Djoum, and Mintom-Lele-Ntam.
The goal of widening the Olembé-Obala Interchange road is to ease traffic congestion at the northern entrance of Yaoundé and improve traffic flow on the Douala-Yaoundé-Yoko-Ngaoundéré-Ndjamena corridor.
