Sangmelima-Ouesso Road: Between expectations and uncertainty

The population living along the Sangmelima-Djoum section of the Sangmelima-Ouesso sub regional integration highway and that living between Mintom and the border with Congo of the same road still have a long way to forget the nightmare that stares them any time they embark on a journey. The near completion of the Djoum-Mintom section of the road measuring 87 kilometres has not completely brought joy to the people of that area considering that most of the socio-economic operations occur between Djoum and Sangmelima.

One of the economic operators, Biboum David, residing in Djoum town has this to say; “our sentiment is shared between happiness and sadness. Happiness when one rides across to Mintom and sadness as one embarks on the perilous journey to Sangmeilma our Divisional capital.”

In effect, the Sangmelima-Ouesso road project in spite of the economic fallouts it may bring on completion, stirs a lot of fear considering the snail pace with which the project is taking off.  Travelling from Sangmelima to Djoum, the two main towns of the Division is something one wouldn’t really like to talk about. Perhaps the people of Ndjantom, Minkang I and II, Meyomessi, Mekok and Bikoula villages will tell a better story. If not, those of Nyabi bête, Nko and Mven may relate it to anyone who has never had the trouble of travelling through that stretch. 

Talk about Sangmelima-Ouesso road and minds will quickly run to heavy duty trucks meandering through the thick equatorial rainforest with huge logs of timber. They will get stuck in swamps and completely paralyse traffic. According to the Mayor of Mintom, Mrs Akete Endamane Debol, passengers travelling in public transport are sometimes compelled to spend the night in the forest pending the towing of such trucks to clear the road.  Sangmelima-Ouesso road means crossing tiny bridges, some of which are really death traps, pushing vehicles in the rainy season and getting soaked in thick dust during the dry season.

Bottlenecks, Inefficiency, Financial Scarcity

Construction on the Djoum-Mintom stretch of the road for which contract was awarded to a national company, MNO in 2011 with an execution period of 30 months is about 97 percent complete. But this simply represents a meagre 30 per cent of the whole project. The Sangmelima-Mekok-Bikoula measuring 65 kilometres is equally under construction but at a disturbingly slow pace as a result of conflicts between the population and the Iranian company, Kayson that won the contract on the one hand and apparent differences between the company and the administration on the other.

The delay in execution is worrying to all stakeholders. According to the Chief of Control Mission, Micha Cecil-Alexis, the company is at its 37 month of execution and only 36 percent of construction. The execution period of the contract awarded in 2012 was 30 months. A service note has extended the period to November 16, 2016, he said. This extension entails a lot in terms of material and financial input.

Machines need to be repaired, technical staff upgraded and finances injected. Even though the company is said to be a renowned construction company, it is the first time it is working in Cameroon, he said.  That notwithstanding, the delay according to him is partly caused by the local population that has out rightly refused to collaborate on the pretext that they must a priori be compensated.

And so, in some areas, it is common to see the road diverted to a different point in a bit to avoid the destruction of a house, farm of even a tree for which the owner has not been paid. The traditional chief of Ndjantom, Mekondane Mekondane Vincent is openly crossed with the company which he accuses of refusing to adhere to the laws of the country. That, in a nutshell is the story about the road that is expected to change things in the CEMAC sub region.