(Business in Cameroon) - On February 15th, in Yaoundé, Minister of Public Works (Mintp), Nganou Djoumessi Emmanuel signed a commercial contract with Italian company Seas (represented by its General Manager Francesco Pauseli) for the construction (phase I) of the Olounou-Oveng road (70 km) linking Cameroon to Gabon.
"This contract will allow the Italian company Seas to participate in phase I of the Olounou-Oveng-Gabon border road construction project (105 km), projected to cost XAF67 billion," the Mintp explained.
The next step will be the signature of the public contract by the State of Cameroon and Seas.
In the framework of that project (whose construction phase is expected to be completed within 24 months), a 3.5 meters 1 x 2 lanes road with a reference speed of 60 km/hour will be built. Also, 59 cross drainage structures, 13 bridges of various lengths for a total linear length of 260 ml will be built, crossroads developed and horizontal and vertical traffic signals set up.
The financing, which is addressed in this commercial contract, also includes technical and geotechnical controls, the construction of an automatic toll station, a weighing station, and a counting station.
Italy expressed its interest in financing the project during the business forum held on the sidelines of President Paul Biya's state visit to Italy from March 20th – 22nd, 2017. A memorandum of understanding was then signed, specifying that the Italian companies Seas, Italfer, and Leonardo Group will carry out the work. It appears that only Seas will implement the project.
According to the Ministry of Public Works, this axis was selected as part of the road component of the Triennial Emergency Plan for the Growth Acceleration (PLANUT) due to the desire to open up production basins by connecting each of the cities concerned by this project to the structuring network. The will is also to extend the asphalt network from the southern region to the major production basins, facilitate the flow of agro-pastoral production to the major consumption centers of the country and Gabon, improve the population’s access to basic infrastructure and boost their income by facilitating the sales of their production.
Sylvain Andzongo