During his end-of-year speech on December 31, 2023, President Paul Biya acknowledged the grim reality that the poor state of roads in the country significantly contributed to the alarming number of accidents recorded throughout the year.
He noted that the accidents “robbed the country of precious human resources” and pledged an escalated effort to enhance the country’s road network in 2024.
President Biya said the “government, for its part, will not only step up efforts to improve the state of the road network but will also rigorously apply the necessary preventive and repressive measures.”
He emphasized the need for responsibility among drivers and bus service operators, asserting that comprehensive measures would be implemented to ensure the safety of passengers and all road users.
In a proactive move to tackle the root causes of accidents, President Biya revealed major road projects set to kickstart in the near future and others already underway.
Notable among these projects are the negotiation-concluded Ebolowa-Kribi road, the rehabilitation of the Ngaoundere-Garoua road, the Mora-Dabanga-Kousseri road, and the repair of the Edea-Kribi and Douala-Bafoussam roads, the Bamenda-Babadjou road, and the Kumba-Ekondo-Titi road.
“The repair of urban road networks is continuing in the towns of Maroua and Ngaoundere, with plans to extend the program to other regional headquarters,” President Biya announced, reassuring citizens that motorway projects would not be overlooked in the comprehensive road improvement strategy.
Cameroon’s global ranking, currently 18th in the world with a death rate of 27.60 per 100,000 according to the World Population Review, reflects the severity of road safety challenges.
Experts caution that these statistics may not capture the full extent of the situation, as many accidents go unreported.
In 2022 alone, over 10,000 road accidents were recorded, resulting in more than 5,000 deaths.
The year 2023 witnessed a tragic toll on the nation’s entertainment community, with at least four popular Cameroonian comedians losing their lives in ghastly road accidents.
Among them was comedian Cabrel Nanjip, who tragically died while en route to Yaounde in his newly acquired blue car.
President Biya’s acknowledgment of the road-related challenges and his commitment to infrastructural improvement signal a pivotal moment in Cameroon’s efforts to address road safety concerns and mitigate the devastating impact of accidents on the nation.
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