Construction of Wouri Bridge fails to meet deadline

Contractors for the construction of the Wouri Bridge have failed to meet the deadline of the work.

The Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Djoumessi Nganou, met with the various stakeholders in the construction of the second bridge linking the economic city of Douala, at its industrial suburb of Bonabéri, on Wednesday, November 18, 2015.

President Paul Biya, after laying the first stone on November 14, 2013, explained it was urgent to take on this project for "more fluid exchange between the banks of the Wouri River."

Due to its emergency state, the Minister of Public Works at the time, Patrice Amba Salla, estimated a 44-month operation.

Just over 24 months later, only 45% of work has been done. The challenges have increased for the consortium selected for its implementation. A barge, which in January 2015, caused an incident and delays in eviction operations and sometimes stir among the projects of the workers who were demanding improvements in their working conditions and salary.

Minister Djoumessi took the decision to set up a dashboard that will serve as a steering instrument and identify the actions in chronological order. He also invited all stakeholders to play a full part in the project.