The African Development Bank ( AfDB ) Group has made a €310 million ( US$356 million ) loan to Cameroon to finance the first phase of the Programme for the Opening-up and Connectivity of Cross-Border Economic Basins in the Eastern Region, which aims to boost cross-border trade and mobility in the country’s eastern region.

The funding will enable the development and paving of a 156-kilometre section of the Ngoura II to Yokadouma road on the Bertoua-Batouri-Ngoura II – Yokadouma – Moloundou – Congo border main strategic route. 

“This operation reflects the African Development Bank Group's constant commitment to supporting Cameroon in the structural transformation of its economy,” says Léandre Bassolé, the bank group’s director general for Central Africa. “By improving the connectivity of the eastern region and its integration with border corridors, we are helping to unlock productive potential and strengthen regional integration in Central Africa.”

Beyond its economic impact, the programme is a lever for social cohesion, reducing territorial disparities and preventing security vulnerabilities in a particularly remote region.

The construction of the road will address three major priorities of opening up the eastern region and strengthening regional integration by connecting it to neighbouring Congo, creating jobs and improving socioeconomic inclusion, as well as contributing to strengthening private-sector promotion, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience. 

Implementation of the programme is expected to generate at least 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, including for youth, women, and vulnerable minorities. 

Establishing modern road infrastructure that can be used all year round will facilitate movements between production areas and marketing centres. The road will reduce transport costs and sustainably improve the living conditions of the population, as well as the competitiveness of economic operators. 

The eastern region, Cameroon’s largest, comprises 109,000 square kilometres and represents nearly 23% of the national territory. It has a paved surface rate of 6.25%  and a road density of 0.70 km per 1,000 inhabitants. This situation is a major obstacle to the development of both local productive potential and the private sector.

The AfDB Group has been strengthening its support for the transport sector in Cameroon since 2015, through major operations aimed at improving the performance of the national road network, particularly in the northern regions ( Adamaoua, North and Far North ), the Northwest, Littoral, and South. The sector's current portfolio includes nine active projects with a total financial commitment of €1.19 billion.