Wilfred Enow Agbor
Douala, Cameroon
Work on the second Wouri River bridge that links Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, with South West, West and North West Regions, has started as the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, laid a foundation stone.
In his address, during the ceremony, the President said that the construction of a bridge across a river is always a giant project. He compared the magnitude and the importance of the Wouri River bridge construction project to that of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Graphic rendition of second Wouri River bridge
The second bridge will be 760 meters long and 135 meters wide. It will have three lanes for vehicles going out of Douala and two lanes for vehicles entering Douala. There will be a lane with guard rails for pedestrian. The bridge will also have two railway tracks for transportation of goods and travelers. When this bridge is completed, it will ease traffic between Bonaberi and Douala.
President Paul Biya giving a speech after laying a foundation stone for Wouri River second bridge
However, the bridge does not only serve Bonaberi and Douala, it serves as an economic artery of the nation. Much of the nation’s economy depends on products from the South West, North West and Western regions to be transported over the bridge to the Douala port where they are shipped overseas. People from these regions who take international flights go over this bridge to the Douala International Airport. The building of the second bridge will ease the flow of products and services and therefore boost the economy of the nation; it will also help to put Cameroon in emerging nation status.
Minister of Public Works, Patrice Amba Salla
This is why, during his speech, the Cameroon President reminded his people, “I said some time ago that Cameroon will be transformed to a building site. In addition to the construction of the second bridge, I want to let you know of some upcoming projects as well. These projects consist of the expansion of the Douala-Yaoundé highway, the tarring of the Kumba-Mamfe road, the tarring of the Garoua-Kouseri road, Foumban-Manki road, Meiganga-Ngaoundere road, amongst others.”
Government Delegate, Fritz Ntone Ntone
The President, however, cautioned his fellow citizens that these projects are not entirely the responsibility of the government, so he urged every Cameroonian to contribute in his/her own way so that the country becomes an emerging nation by 2035.
Lauren Esso, Minister of Justice and Keeper of Seals, elite from the Littoral Region, expressed his gratitude to President Paul Biya for the laying of the foundation stone to start the construction of the bridge. Mr. Esso advised all political parties in Douala not to resort to violence as a means of resolving their differences, but to come together in support of the President for the construction of a better Cameroon.
Ntone Ntone Fritz, Government Delegate of the Douala Urban Council, also thanked Mr. Paul Biya for his presence in the economic capital — a sign of honor and hope for a bright future to the people of Douala. Mr. Ntone also added that over 475 million francs have been allocated for the construction of Congo and Bonamoussadi markets and now a second bridge is to be built across the Wouri River. This shows that the best is yet to come. He encouraged the President to go ahead for he has the full support from the people of Douala
The construction of the bridge will be carried out by SATOM, and the project will last for 44 months for a total cost of about 120 billion francs according to Patrice Amba Salla, Minister of Public Works. Mr Salla added that local materials will be used for the construction and over 500 job opportunities will be available for unemployed youths.
