The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted a €310 million loan to Cameroon to finance the construction of a 156km section of highway in the east of the country.
The section of the Ngoura II to Yokadouma road, which runs alongside Cameroon’s border with the Central African Republic (CAR), will form part of the Bartoua-Batouri-Ngoura II-Yokadouma-Mloundou-Congo border main strategic route.
The road’s construction aims to open up the eastern region of the country and connect it to neighbouring Congo, to the south. It is expected to generate at least 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Cameroon’s eastern region is the country’s largest, with an area of 109,000 sq km but has a paved surface rate of about 6.25% and a road density of 0.7km per 1,000 inhabitants, according to the AfDB.
The AfDB said it is supporting a portfolio of nine active road construction projects in Cameroon, with a total financial commitment of nearly €1.2 billion.