The port of Douala-Bonabéri (PAD) announced it has engaged talks with the world-class dredge manufacturing company, Dredging Supply Company, to acquire two dredges.

These include a stationary suction dredger for water bodies and dock feet, the Beaver 50, and a running suction dredger with 3,000 m3 of well capacity for the TSHD 3000 channel.

Delivery is scheduled for October 2019. “In one year, the PAD will save more than XAF5 billion excluding depreciation. These funds could make it possible to dredge water bodies and wharf feet for at least three years,” the port authority said.

Let’s recall that the Douala port platform was built in 1980 with an initial capacity of about 7 million tons of cargo per annum. Currently, the capacity reached about 12 million tons of cargo. However, the port authority noted a significant deterioration in port infrastructure and superstructures, the flooding of some wharves by shipwrecks, siltation and silting of water bodies, etc.

S.A

The second meeting between the Cameroonian minister delegate in charge of the economy, Paul Tasong, and Baltasar Engonga Edjo'o, the Equatorial-Guinean minister of regional integration, about the construction of the Ntem bridge along the Kribi-Campo-Bata cross-border corridor was held February 1st.

The final statement issued at the end of talks suggests the two parties still do not agree on the route of the infrastructure. While Cameroon aims for the variant 2, located 450 m from the mouth of Ntem river, Equatorial Guinea wants the variant 1 to be 250 m from the river mouth.

Both parties presented the advantages of their choices and the Cameroonian delegation says the variant 1, chosen by E Guinea, is incompatible with the development approach of the town of Campo, in Cameroon, while the E Guinean side believes the variant 2 chosen by Cameroon does not match the development plan of Rio Campo, in Equatorial Guinea.

“Talks led to a consensual variant that will be developed in the further elaboration of the project. Annex 1 to the MoU which sets out the final variant choice will be signed by March 15, 2019, upon the initiative of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS),” the document said.

The only point on which they have agreed for the time being is the type of bridge to be built. It will be “a pre-stressed concrete box bridge built by successive corbels as a basic solution and a mixed steel-concrete structure bridge in alternative solution,” according to the document.

The two nations call on the African Union Commission, Nepad Agency, the African Development Bank, bilateral and multilateral partners, as well as the entire international community to enhance support for this inclusive project.

Sylvain Andzongo

Cameroonian Minister Delegate for economy Paul Tasong (photo), chaired December 14 in Kribi, presentation of the results of the feasibility study carried out to construct a bridge over the Ntem River, on the Kribi-Campo (Cameroon)-Bata (Equatorial Guinea) corridor.

The Equatorial Guinean side was represented by Baltasar Engonga Edjo'o, Minister in charge of Regional Integration, and Reginaldo Asu Mangue, Deputy Minister in charge of Public Works, Housing and Urban Planning.

Once completed, the Cameroonian Minister Paul Tasong said, the facility will “strengthen and increase traffic of people and goods between the two States, ease and promote trade, and finally ensure the safe crossing of the river”.

The two countries agreed on a meeting in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, on 1 February 2019, to select the location and type of bridge to be constructed on the basis of the results of the preliminary study and proposals of the Joint Technical Committee for project monitoring.

Let’s note that the African Development Bank (AfDB) has agreed in principle to provide XAF2 billion for this project, since 2013. Also, in 2016, a contract was signed with the ECTA BTP/Tractebel consortium for the technical study.

S.A

At end-September 2018, the Potable Water Supply Project in the city of Yaoundé from the Sanaga River (PAEPYS) was completed at 30%, the water and energy minister (Minee) informed.

The project valued at XAF399 billion and financed by Eximbank China is expected to fill the water supply deficit in Yaoundé, by providing an additional 300,000 m3/d in its initial phase and 400,000 m3/d in the expansion phase. It also covers areas including: Batchenga, Obala, Nkometou, Soa and Ntui.

According to detailed information provided by Minee, feasibility studies are 81% finished, the Nachtigal raw water collection and pumping station is 15% built, while the water treatment unit in Emana-Batchenga is 17% completed. Also, the 90kV/30kV transformer substation in Nkometou is at a 43% completion rate; 18% for the treated water pumping station in Nkometou and 60% of required materials and equipment is supplied.

Regarding expropriation procedures under the project, Minee said a compensation of XFA650 million has already been paid to populations affected on the pipeline corridor linking the catchment station to the treatment plant. Let’s note that work is entrusted to Chinese Sinomach.

Yaoundé currently has a little over 2 million inhabitants and drinking water peak demand is estimated at 315,000 m3/day. The only source that supplies the city, Akomnyada water treatment plant, produces, at best, nearly 100,000 m3/d. This creates a gap of about 215,000 m3/d. As a result, populations suffer drinking water rationing. 

S.A

The Delegate to the Minister in charge of the Economy, Paul Tasong, chaired December 11 a workshop in Limbe, southwest region, to present and validate the institutional framework of the “Limbe Left Bank Maritime Development Project”.

The latter, the minister says, is a restructuring project for the “Downbeach” area, located in the Limbé l district. The XAF60-billion facility is an ambitious project deployed over 36 hectares.

Government plans, in the coming months, to build, among other things, a 4,000-seat congress center, a museum, a hotel complex with 200 rooms and 20 suites, a 400-seat pile-supported restaurant, a nautical and leisure center, etc.

“The project aims at giving a new face to Limbe, a city with enormous potential. It will ensure that the culture of Limbe can be more fully expressed and that the city weighs more in Cameroon's economy,” said Paul Tasong. Yet the time works will start was not indicated nor is the project’s financing vehicle.   

S.A

“As we talked with mobile operators, we came to understand that disruptions in communication is linked to ongoing construction works that sometimes affect the optical fiber, from which operators are interconnected,” Philémon Zo’o Zame, the Managing Director of the telecom regulatory agency (ART), said to explain the recent disturbances in certain mobile telephony services namely phone calls, internet services, and mobile Money.

The problem is so recurrent that the MD strongly recommends that relevant structures in charge of managing the facility reinforce their maintenance staff, and plan, in the long term, the deployment of optical fiber in the air as to “protect it from human action”, Cameroon Tribune reported.

 BRM

Although it has been open to traffic for a year now, the 2nd bridge built over the Wouri River in Douala, will be temporarily commissioned December 21, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, the Coastal Region's Governor, said during a site visit.

The XAF141.6 billion facility, whose construction was entrusted to Sogea-Satom, is near completion. So is additional developments that opened up the area known as Rond-Point Deïdo.

A strategic infrastructure long demanded by Cameroonian economic operators, the 2nd Wouri River Bridge allows better traffic flow from Bonabéri, which houses an industrial zone, to downtown Douala; and even between Douala and the regions of North-West, South-West and West Cameroon.

BRM

The Cameroonian government announced the resumption of rehabilitation works of the Babadjou-Bamenda road. This follows an appraisal meeting of the progress of World Bank-funded road projects in the country, last Dec 7 in Douala.

Works were suspended amid rising insecurity in the Anglophone regions plagued by violence from separatists who want to split the country. Let’s recall that a few months ago, the latter attacked public transport buses on this road, setting fire to a bulldozer of the construction company carrying out the work, which had previously been used to strip part of the roadway.

BRM

Following CAF’s decision to withdraw from Cameroon the organization of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2019, the Cameroonian habitat minister (Minhdu), Jean Claude Mbwentchou, announced works will however be delivered in due time. The announcement followed a meeting with the heads of companies in charge of these works, Dec 4 in Yaoundé.

“Companies reaffirmed their commitment to complete works entrusted them in due time. These include road works to be closed in March 2019 at the latest, and the rehabilitation works for January 2019,” the minister said.

“As a consequence, the minister of habitat and development reassures national and international opinion that the works will be completed in total serenity by companies,” the minister's statement revealed.

S.A

The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced it will finance the refurbishment of the railways linking the localities of Belabo, Pangar and Ngaoundéré, in the East and Adamaoua regions. EIB financed the construction of this line.

“Currently, this railway is seriously degraded. We are working jointly with the government to totally renovate it,” said Andréa Pinna (photo), the head of regional representation of EIB for Central Africa, during a recent site visit to the Lom Pangar dam, East region.

Let’s mention that the bank financed the dam project with up to CFA20 billion and plans investment in the rural electricity industry.

BRM