Cameroon has awarded the Chinese company China First Highway Engineering (CFHEC) a market of CFAF 43.81 billion TTC for the reconstruction of the first stretch of the Edea-Kribi road. This 57 km long project, financed by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Cameroonian State, aims to improve the road service to the port of Kribi, the country's main deep water port complex.
The Cameroon Ministry of Public Works entrusted China First Highway Engineering (CFHEC) with the reconstruction of the section between the Edéa-Kribi junction and the Bivouba bridge. The contract, awarded on August 6, 2026, covers an amount of CFAF 43.81 billion TTC (approximately $77 million) and provides for a 24-month lead time.
The work will be financed by a loan from the African Development Bank (ADB), supplemented by the Ministry's public investment budget. They are part of the Kribi Industrial and Port Area (PARZIK) Road Development Project.
This reconstruction must remedy the severe deterioration of this road axis, marked by subsidences, chicken nests and severely deteriorated sections that have slowed traffic for several years.
This situation penalizes both freight transport and passenger travel, while increasing carriers' operating costs and delivery times.
Prior to this decision, the authorities had initiated a number of ad hoc interventions, including a contract of CFAF 3.5 billion allocated to Somaf in September 2024 to deal with critical points, following maintenance work carried out in 2022 by Razel over approximately 105 km for almost CFAF 2 billion.
Beyond the condition of the roadway, this project concerns a strategic axis for Cameroon's trade. The 110.05 km Edéa-Kribi road is the main link between the port of Kribi and its hinterland, ensuring the transport of goods to the interior of the country and their connection to corridors serving the markets of Central Africa.
The reconstruction of the first lot must help to improve the flow of traffic between the port platform and national and subregional road networks, while the port seeks to strengthen its role in the region's trade flows.
The contract awarded to CFHEC concerns only the first batch of 57 km. The second section, planned under PARZIK, has not yet been allocated.
Already present on several infrastructure projects in Cameroon, the Chinese company participates in the first phase of the Yaoundé-Douala motorway on a 60 km linear and is also associated with the studies of the second phase of this infrastructure.
