Economic Booster

The bridge that collapsed sometime ago bringing untold consequences to the farming population of Lekie as well as Mbam and Kim Divisions of the centre Region is back to life. Total satisfaction threaded through the faces of the population yesterday at the little locality of Koro situated between Sa'a and Ntui when the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, cut the symbolic ribbon to officially declare the bridge over the Sanaga River (Pont de l'enfance) fit for use.

The situation couldn't have been otherwise considering the torment the population of the area known for its agricultural activities went through to get their crops across the river to the city of Yaounde and beyond. Farmers and livestock breeders were obliged to spend extra cash with all the risk involved to ferry their goods through the river. The consequences to say the least were disgustful including persistent hikes in prices. Cocoa harvested from this area become more expensive considering that buyers had to spend extra resources to get the beans across. While rejoicing that activities have bounced back on the completion of the bridge, it is important to underscore the promptitude, with which the administration responded to its collapse and the quality of work demonstrated by Six International, the executing company from Belgium.

Since the foundation stone for the construction of the Pont de l'enfance was laid on March, 18, 2010, the population spent time amidst the hard times they went through, meditating on whether the project will one day see the light of day. The dream has at last come true. The bridge which measures 240 metres long and 10 metres wide was financed at FCFA 14 billion by the Cameroon government with the support of the Kingdom of Belgium. Experts were not surprised at its collapse considering that the edifice had long overdue its life span. Constructed between 1977 and 1979, the Pont de l'enfance initially served a smaller farmer population but as time went on, the traffic stepped up exerting more pressure on the bridge.

The Pont de L'enfance Bridge is a veritable economic booster that serves not only Lekie and Mbam and Kim, but the northern region of Cameroon. It is one of the major routes through which livestock breeders from the northern regions pass. Some people fondly refer to it as "cattle road." In the same vein, the road that cuts through cocoa producing zones of Yoko, Ntui, Sa'a and many others could equally be referred to as the "cocoa road." The construction of the bridge will certainly remove these areas from their remote state and facilitate the evacuation of crops from the farms to the market. It is a farm-to-market bridge which will equally serve as an important spur to farming activities. Lazy farmers who might have downed their farming tools for fear their products may not reach the booming markets of Yaounde and Douala may resume work.

The rehabilitation of the bridge is equally expected to ease the transportation of farm in-puts from the urban areas to the farmers. In which case dealers in such products are expected to spend less to transport the said products and subsequently step down prices to the benefit of farmers. That said, it will be necessary to intensify control on the bridge notably on the weight of the vehicles that ply the road. Heavy duty vehicles transporting cattle from Adamawa, Tibati and other areas in the north must be seriously controlled to ensure the durability of structure. This, in all, is going to be the responsibility of everyone if the agricultural bridge must live longer.