Feasibility study of the Cameroon-Chad Railway Line
The related loan agreement was co-signed on February 20, 2021, in Yaoundé by the Minister of Economy, Planning and Territorial Development, Alamine OUSMANE MEY and the Country Manager of the African Bank of Development (BAD) in Cameroon, Solomane KONE. It was in the presence of the Chadian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Ahmad Abakar Adjid, the Cameroonian Minister of Transport, Ernest Masséna Ngalle BIBEHE and the Secretary of State attached to the Cameroonian Minister of Public Works, Armand DJODOM.
3.2 billion FCFA is the overall cost of the feasibility study for the extension of the railway line between Cameroon and Chad. This is financed equally by the African Development Fund (one of the ADB windows), through a grant of CFAF 1.6 billion to the Republic of Chad and a concessional loan of CFAF 1.6 billion of FCFA to the Republic of Cameroon. After Chad, Cameroon has just benefited from the resources necessary to conduct the feasibility study related to the implementation of this critical investment project.
The results of this study will make it possible to establish the socio-economic viability of the railway and to determine the best solution (technical and economic) while taking into account the institutional, social and environmental conditions.
There is a desire to ensure the proper maturation of the Cameroon-Chad railway line extension project. The Minepat has noted that from the implementation schedule of the study, the results are expected after 22 months.
The main objective of the Cameroon-Chad railway line extension project is to strengthen sub-regional integration in Central Africa. It aims to facilitate and boost transit activities between the two countries concerned, to relieve the road network and to avoid disruptions in charges which unfortunately increase transport costs and negatively impact the competitiveness of goods from Douala and sold to Ndjamena.
From the environmental perspective, the construction of this railway will contribute to green growth for the two States, by facilitating the increase in trade using the railway, a low-polluting means of transport compared to road transport. "This is an ambitious project, which is in line with the implementation of the AfDB Regional Integration Strategy Paper for Central Africa during the period 2019-2025", said Solomane KONE. It is also part of the implementation of the CEMAC regional transport infrastructure development program.
