The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved grants worth around US$44.3mn for the construction of a bridge connecting Cameroon and Chad across the Logone river
The grant, comprising a US$22.5mn tranche for Cameroon and US$20.8mn for Chad, were approved on 30 April 2020. The grants have been approved from the Investment Facility for Africa, under a framework agreement between the AfDB and the European Commission.
The funds will co-finance the costs of constructing the bridge between Yagoua in Cameroon, and Bongor in Chad, the access roads between them and the feasibility studies involved in it, according to the management.
The bridge, once completed, will bolster bilateral and sub-regional integration and cross-border trade, safeguarding life and property during the river crossing, and boost socio-cultural ties between the two countries.
“The project aims to promote inter-state trade, particularly between Cameroon and Chad; reduce travel time and transportation costs, and improve accessibility of basic services by nearby communities,” the report notified.
In addition to the Logone river bridge, other projects under the Pillar Assessed Grant or Delegation Agreement (PAGODA) include the rehabilitation of the Lome-Cotonou road, road development and transport facilitation on the Bamako-San Pedro corridor, between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and the rehabilitation of the CU2a community road section in Burkina Faso near the shared border with Niger.
The Bank and the European Commission are committed to co-financing development projects that tackle poverty, by investing in critical infrastructure that promotes seamless connectivity of transport, energy and ICT.
