Changing The Road Network Narrative!

The irritating bad and fast degrading road network in the country; be they urban, interurban or rural roads, is a national problem that touches Cameroonians of all walks of life deeply. President Paul Biya is no exception. The length and breadth at which the Head of State spoke of the sorry state of the country’s roads in his 2025 New Year address on December 31, 2024 tells of his worries. The same apprehensions of citizens who brave the odds moving from one end of the city and country to the other; paying the huge price in due course. Legitimate concerns on a determinant growth purveyor – roads, which must be tackled wholeheartedly. 
In what looked like a balance sheet of his ending seven-year mandate, President Paul Biya dwelled lengthily on the problem of roads, the causes and what should be done to change the narrative. Telling Cameroonians that, “I am aware of your frustration about the deterioration of our urban and interurban roads. As you know, this situation significantly impacts economic activities and is often a major cause of traffic accidents,” speaks volumes of the gravity of the problem. In fact, the quality of roads served Cameroonians for their movement and that of their goods is a full shadow of what an economy aspiring for modernity is supposed to have. 
Urban roads are poor and what is being done in the name of rehabilitation doesn’t rekindle any hope of better days ahead. Filling potholes on tarred roads with either pure soil or poor dosage of concrete leaves the city dusty or the spots vulnerable to the slightest shock. Cosmetic solutions to a deep-rooted problem and one can imagine how much of scarce resources are being wasted on what cannot last. Little wonder the Head of State said, “I can assure you that the current state of our road network does not reflect the efforts and sacrifices being made for its rehabilitation and expansion.” Indeed, Public Works carries the lion’s share of the State budget for 2025. Over FCFA 600 billion. Visibly, there seems to be much talk than action on the country’s road network. A disturbing trend which greatly retards development and continually causes untold economic and social hardship on the population. 
Mr Biya underlined that the challenges in this sector are well known. Foremost among them is the unavailability of funding, followed by the impact of rainfall. But beyond these obstacles, human factors do exist which must be boldly handled if sustainable solutions must be found. The Head of State’s statement that, “I do not lose sight of governance issues, which undoubtedly call for firm and urgent measures. I will ensure that these issues are tackled,” should be a wake-up bell. Those vested with the powers to develop the country’s road network absolutely need to rethink their strategies and reconsider prioritising national gain.
This begins with the vision, the plan and the procedure to materialise it on the ground. Finances are scarce, no doubt; but it is inconceivable that the hard-earned money is poorly used on road projects that are known to drain a lot of the resources. Spending so much on superficial solutions to the nagging road problem is synonymous to killing the national economy today and tomorro...