The Minister of Public Works Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi has surreptitiously acknowledged the many shortcomings of the Administration, in front of the elected representatives of the nation.
Cameroon's road network is struggling with its pavement. Of the 121,501 km of roads identified as of September 30, 2020, "only 35% of the national and regional network is in good condition," said Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Minister of Public Works. For good reason, "44% of the linear network is covered by active contracts for work that does not run. The reasons are known. Several companies have abandoned the construction sites or studies, others have not even mobilized, "he acknowledges during a speech in the Lower House during the oral question session organized on November 18, 2021 at the Palais des Congrès.
Questioned about the abandonment of road projects in the North-West which gives the impression that the State has lost control of this region, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi defends himself: "[…] the impression is indeed wrong. Indeed, the service providers who continue to carry out the work receive the support of the government, which has continued to mobilize the necessary resources. In addition, projects that have not been completed are subject to a new contract with particular attention to the choice of partner companies with a sociology inking in the area and under the support of the defense forces, if necessary. But so far, few companies are coming forward."
A poor state of road infrastructure that has, among other consequences, thousands of deaths every year. According to road safety statistics, 3275 people died as a result of traffic accidents in 2020 in Cameroon. Figures increase significantly because in 2018, there were 16,583 road accidents and 1,500 deaths in the country according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). According to statistics from this UN institution, the risk of road deaths in the country is estimated at 26.7 people per 100,000 inhabitants, which is higher than that of neighboring countries in West Africa.
