Kumba-Mamfe: The People’s Cry Heard

Already less than 20 percent to finish, the journey from Kumba (Meme Division) to Mamfe (Manyu) is much comfortable passing through Nguti (Kupe Manenguba) now.

“The South West inhabitants could never be happier without a good road linking its six constitutive administrative units”, an authority of the area recently voiced during a public meeting. Today, no commuter can deny the fact of a bitumen (tar) road now connecting Limbe (Fako) through Kumba (Meme), Nguti (Kupe Manenguba) and Mamfe (Manyu). Four of the six administrative units in the South West are now linked by an all-season road.
 Hope is also rife to link, in no distant future, another Division, Ndian, to Meme as the Loum-Kumba-Ekondo Titi-Mundemba-Akwa road construction project has begun with the Kumba-Ekondo Titi portion last June, 2017. Another hopeful road project joining Manyu and Lebialem Divisions from Bakebe through Menji to Dschang is promisingly in the pipeline with three firms already running the race to win the contract.
 The Kumba-Mamfe road is, today, a reality. A passenger can today take a rendez-vous from Kumba to be in Mamfe in two hours as against a whole day’s journey in the past. Inhabitants of the zone pierced by the road can happily remain in their villages and develop themselves. For example, the cocoa, cocoyam, plantains and other food and cash crops of Mbakwa Supe, Manyemen, Nguti, or Bakebe as well as other roadside communities find ready market without any stress to head-load them on far distances.

INTERVIEW

Mbaga Gomer: “It Takes 45 Minutes From Mamfe To Ekok Unlike One Week In The Past”

Divisional Delegate of Public Works Mamfe (Manyu)

We are on the Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok-Enugu road. At what stage is the road this end of July, 2017?
 The road was technically received in June 2016 especially the Bachuo-Akagbe-Mamfe-Ekok stretch. This means that it is a completed job. Works on the Mamfe-Bachuo Akagbe was rehabilitation and Mamfe-Ekok was construction. We are currently observing the road to see what damages occur there within one year. The contractor is on the site now doing certain repairs. We had a meeting last time, visited the road and we made some observations. We prescribed some works for the contractors to do this July.
 Are the contractors respecting the specifications of the job?
The works began in 2001. It is true that the cry of Cameroon now is that we are not respecting the technical specifications. That is why we have a period of observation in the contracts to see what has happened to the road. According to what we saw they were doing, they do respect the specification of the technical book that we call the bible of the road which is CCTP. The base, the foundation and all the layers, I think the depth of five centimetres was respected. This road is Trans-African road. It is helping Nigeria and Cameroonians to be exchanging goods. It has facilitated Cameroonians to be moving from one point to another. You knew the troubles we were having from Mamfe to Ekok. We were having like one week to reach Ekok but now we are taking 45 minutes. We are having exchanges with Nigeria which is helping our economic relationship. Nigeria is benefiting from Cameroon and Cameroon is befitting from Nigeria. In a few minutes we are in Nigeria and in few minutes, they are in Cameroon.
What is the level of tr...