(Business in Cameroon) – Images widely circulating on social media showing the severe deterioration of the key Edéa-Kribi highway have prompted a reaction from Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi. As the government body overseeing the road’s rehabilitation, the minister sought to justify the visible delays and slow pace of work on this vital route linking the coastal city of Kribi to the country’s interior.
Djoumessi said the Edéa-Pont de Bivouba section is the most damaged, riddled with potholes and failing pavement. He blamed the degradation on the road’s age, overuse by overloaded trucks, and the surge in traffic linked to the growing activity at the Autonomous Port of Kribi.
Since October 2024, the company Somaf has been contracted to carry out reinforcement work ahead of a full reconstruction phase. However, progress on the 3.4-billion-CFA-franc project has been slow. Djoumessi himself acknowledged the company’s “low output,” citing heavy rainfall and supply chain disruptions for some key materials.
The ministry currently estimates completion at 82%, a figure that belies the situation on the ground, where motorists still spend more than three hours traveling the 146 kilometers between Edéa and Kribi.
To speed up the work, the minister said he had instructed Somaf to temporarily use ballast until weather conditions improve enough to allow for final surfacing and paving. He said this interim measure should ease traffic flow along the entire stretch, while urging the company to prioritize “critical points” between Pont de Bivouba and Kribi.
But uncertainty lingers over when full reconstruction will actually begin. The minister gave no start date and offered no clear update on funding. The overall project, valued at 148 billion CFA francs, is expected to be co-financed by the African Development Bank (101 billion CFA), the Central African Development Bank (45 billion CFA), and the Cameroonian government (2 billion CFA).
Originally scheduled to start by the end of September 2025, the reconstruction has yet to get underway. In his October 9 statement, Djoumessi merely said that “the project for the reconstruction of National Road 7, supported by the African Development Bank, in two lots, is at the stage of selecting companies.”
This cautious wording adds to the uncertainty and raises questions about the government’s ability to swiftly restore such a strategic road link.
Ludovic Amara
