• The AfDB has approved about $357 million to pave a 156-km road in eastern Cameroon.

• The project targets the Ngoura II–Yokadouma section of a corridor linking Cameroon to Congo.

• Authorities say the program aims to improve regional trade and reduce infrastructure gaps.

Cameroon has secured new financing to modernize its road network in one of the country’s most isolated regions. The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group approved a loan of €309.93 million (about $357.3 million), equivalent to around CFA203 billion, to finance the first phase of the Cross-Border Economic Basin Connectivity and Access Program in the East Region (PDCBET), according to a statement from the institution.

Approved on Wednesday, February 18, the funding will support the upgrading and paving of a 156-kilometer stretch linking Ngoura II to Yokadouma. The road is part of the strategic Bertoua – Batouri – Ngoura II – Yokadouma – Moloundou – Republic of Congo border corridor, considered a key route for facilitating trade between Cameroon and neighboring Central African countries.

“By improving connectivity in the East Region and linking it more closely to cross-border corridors, we are helping unlock productive potential and strengthen regional integration in Central Africa,” said Léandre Bassolé, AfDB’s Director General for Central Africa.

A program aimed at reducing regional disparities

Beyond improving mobility, the program also aims to strengthen social cohesion and reduce regional disparities in an area that has long lagged behind in infrastructure development.

Cameroon’s East Region, the largest in the country with nearly 109,000 km²—about 23% of national territory—remains among the least served by the road network.

According to AfDB data, the share of paved roads in the region is estimated at just 6.25%, with a road density of about 0.70 km per 1,000 inhabitants. This situation has been a major constraint on the development of local productive sectors, particularly agriculture, forestry, and mining.

In its statement, the AfDB noted that building a modern road accessible year-round should facilitate trade between production areas and market centers. The infrastructure is also expected to reduce transport costs, improve access to services, and strengthen the competitiveness of economic operators.

The program’s implementation is expected to generate at least 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, particularly benefiting young people, women, and vulnerable minority groups.

Beyond the roadworks themselves, the project fits into a broader strategy of regional economic integration by strengthening links between production basins in eastern Cameroon and cross-border corridors connecting the country with the Republic of Congo and other Central African markets.

Amina Malloum, Business in Cameroon