By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The foundation stone for a 620 metre-long crossing to link the town of Bongor in Chad to Yagoua in Cameroon was jointly laid last February 27, 2020 in Bongor, Chad by Chadian President, Idriss Deby Itno and Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute as personal representative of President Paul Biya of Cameroon.
The second bridge over the Logone River expected to facilitate exchanges between Cameroon and Chad is evaluated at FCFA 74 billion and will be funded by governments of Cameroon and Chad together with the African Development Bank and the European Union.
Projected to be completed in January 2023, the Yagoua-Bongor Bridge to link Cameroon and Chad is being constructed in a move by Presidents Paul Biya and Idriss Deby Itno to foster integration in the Central African sub region.
The solemn ceremony to lay the foundation stone organised in Bongor in Chad was witnessed by a powerful Cameroonian delegation made up of Ministers directly concerned with the project such as the Ministers of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi and Transport, Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe.
During the ceremony, it was disclosed that the African Development Bank and European Union have already made available the sum of 30 million Euros (about FCFA 20 billion) for the start of construction works.
It is worth noting that the project to construct a new bridge to link both countries was first discussed during the Cameroon-Chad mixed commission in 2010 in Yaounde and the execution of the project was signed on December 31, 2019 while a notification for the start of the construction works was issued last January 13, 2020.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chadian Minister of Transport and the Governor of the Mayo Kebi East Region of Chad explained that the bridge will in addition to reducing the close to 100 cases of drowning per year, help boost the economy of the lake Chad basin. It will promote the growth of agriculture and livestock breeding and consequently facilitate integration in the area. They said the bridge will improve the living conditions of their respective peoples.