ADB makes funds available to Cameroon.

The African Development Bank Group ( AfDB ) is making new funds available to pursue two major projects in Cameroon: the Kribi Industrial and Port Zone Access Road Development Project (PARZIK, first phase) and the Yaoundé Sustainable Stormwater Sanitation Complementary Project (PCADY).

the agreements

The loan agreements were signed in Yaoundé by the ADB Director General for Central Africa, Serge N'Guessan, and Alamine Ousman Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development of Cameroon.

Already endowed with a first installment of 114 million euros (74,7 billion CFA francs), the road development project for the opening of the industrial zone and the port of Kribi (PARZIK) will benefit from a further 40 million euros ( 26 billion CFA francs), this second tranche having received the green light from the ADB Board of Directors on 22 June 2022.

THE PARZIK

PARZIK aims to improve the fluidity and safety of road traffic between the city of Edéa and Kribi, a city with a deep-water port.

To this end, the 110 km of very deteriorated road that connects the two cities will be rehabilitated and the road will be extended to Equatorial Guinea, finally connecting the two countries. A bridge will also be built over the river Ntem, which will reinforce national and trans-African corridors, such as Douala-Kribi-Bata, Kribi-Yaoundé-Bangui and Kribi-Yaoundé-N'Djamena.

THE PADY

The second project to benefit from this Bank support definitively completes and consolidates the achievements of a large-scale operation that it had already financed, the Yaoundé Sanitation Program (PADY), which has been implemented in two phases since its launch in 2013.

The objectives – fully achieved since then – were to reduce the impact of the floods that annually devastated the Cameroonian capital – more than 130 between 1980 and 2014 – and, in general, to improve stormwater management, sanitation and public hygiene.

With the new loan agreement, which provides the Yaoundé Complementary Sustainable Sanitation Project with almost €33,5 million (FCFA 22 billion), Yaoundé intends to continue the work and address residual flooding that can occur in the city center – such like Kennedy Avenue.

A flood control basin will be built, and solid waste management will be improved. As in the two previous phases of the programme, several playgrounds and green spaces are planned.

This new phase of the PCADY project also benefits from an $8 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will be used to finance design studies for the future Ongot landfill in Yaoundé.

In addition to the construction site, this time in Douala, of a treatment center for special and/or hazardous industrial waste (known as “class 1”), in the district of Ngombé.

The comments

“I would like to thank you for the impetus that our cooperation has just received under your leadership”.

“The realization of these two operations is the result of your efforts, combined with those of your employees”.

“together with ours, they formed a dynamic and committed team, dedicated to the achievement of our country's development goals”.

Said the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development of Cameroon in a speech during the signing ceremony, which was attended by several members of the government.

“I am delighted to be able to express the gratitude of the Head of State, Paul Biya, to the ADB Group for the excellent technical and financial cooperation between Cameroon and your august institution”.

Added Alamine Ousman Mey.

“For the ADB Group, these two operations bring the volume of its active portfolio in Cameroon to almost 2 billion euros (about 1.302 billion CFAF), spread over 25 operations”.

Said Serge N'Guessan, AfDB Director General for Central Africa.

“The transport sector alone represents 51,6% of the portfolio, more than one billion euros [680 billion CFA francs]”.

“This is proof of the ADB Group's leadership position in financing the transport sector in the country and in the sub-region”, he concluded.

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Picture: © 2022 AfDB