Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Works is seeking an additional CFA11 billion ($19.8 million) to complete the Lékié road loop project in the Center Region, adding to a series of cost increases and delays that have slowed the strategic infrastructure effort.
If approved, the total project cost would rise to CFA42 billion, up from the original CFA31 billion budget.
According to the ministry’s technical services, the new funding request reflects “new price adjustments” and changes in quantities compared with the initial contract. It marks the second budget revision in less than a year. Six months ago, the ministry had already requested an additional CFA9.8 billion. At that stage, project costs were estimated at CFA31 billion for construction works and CFA1.3 billion for oversight and supervision.
A Timeline That Keeps Slipping
The project was scheduled for delivery on December 27, 2025 — the second deadline granted to Arab Contractors, the company in charge of the works. The original completion date had been set for December 2024, following a launch in December 2022.
Three years after groundbreaking, the project now reflects a 38% cost overrun and remains incomplete. As of the end of February, overall progress stood at 59%. The ministry projects that the rate will reach 63% by the end of March.
Remaining work includes earthworks, installation of base and surface layers, and construction of culverts, drainage channels, and ditches. Provisional acceptance of the project is now scheduled for November 2026.
A Strategic Route Near Yaoundé
Located northwest of Yaoundé, the Lékié road loop includes three sections: Nkolbisson–Zamengoué Interchange (9.05 kilometers); Zamengoué–Ekékam–Evodoula (43.95 kilometers); and Ekékam–Monatélé (28.5 kilometers).
The project is intended to ease traffic congestion and improve access to communities on the outskirts of the capital. But repeated delays and rising costs have raised broader questions about budget control and planning discipline in large-scale infrastructure projects.
Ludovic Amara
