Yaounde – Nsimalen highway: standards must be respected

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Jean Claude Mbwentchou has given directives to follow in the construction of the infrastructure.

The directives provided by the Minister were presented at a ceremony to launch deeper feasibility studies on the construction of the highway. The ceremony took place Tuesday April 24 2018 in Yaounde and saw the presence of the Minister of State properties, Surveys and Land tenure, Jacqueline Koung à Bessike and the secretary of state at the Ministry for Housing, Marie Rose Dibong in the presence of top government officials in the center region.

The highway and its environs must respect a particular standard; the Minister told the stake holders who attended the launching. It shall be constructed in a way that will provide for a harmonious occupation, taking into consideration, pedestrians, two wheeled vehicles and cars not leaving out other roadside activities.

To achieve this, the minister instructed that the deeper feasibility studies should take into consideration the following factors.

• A mastery of the value of the highway and its surroundings.
• A mastery of the development spaces in the different councils that the highway will pass through.
• Guarantee of the security of persons and their wealth besides the highway.

Focus of the feasibility studies it should be recalled, is to seek scientific solutions to the challenges that may eventually occur as a result of the construction of the Yaounde – Nsimalen Presidential Highway.

The deeper feasibility study will benefit from technical assistance from the United Nations Organization (ONU – Habitat) in collaboration with MAETUR, as stipulated in the contribution agreement signed on the 16^th of February 2016.

The Highway

The special Presidential Highway will cover a distance of 10.8 KM in the rural zone and 10 KM in the urban setting.

It passes through the Yaounde III and IV council areas of the Mfoundi Division, the Mfou council in the Mefou and Afamba Division and the Bikok council in the Mefou and Akono Division.

The minister of Housing and Town Planning Jean Claude Mbwentchou said the objective of the highway is to reduce traffic congestion in the town which is a difficult situation according to inhabitants.

He called on all the different stake holders to commit for the success of the project.

It was also an occasion for the actors to get to meet with each other and share ideas on what they need to put in and what deadlines to respect in executing the project.