For years, the people of the North West have lived with crumbling roads, unfinished projects and the weight of conflict. The once-vital Babadjou–Bamenda road became a symbol of neglect and insecurity, its reconstruction stalled by separatist attacks and repeated contractor withdrawals. This isolation worsened economic hardship and deepened the sense of abandonment felt across the region.
That narrative shifted on Wednesday 17 September 2025 as the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, officially commissioned the Babadjou-Matazem Welcome to Bamenda lots of the long-delayed Babadjou–Bamenda road project. In a move signalling renewed momentum, he also launched rehabilitation works on Lot 4b, known as the Bamenda Urban Crossing, a key section meant to ease movement within the city.
The Prime Minister further flagged off construction of urban roads under the C2D framework, bringing fresh energy to projects that have been slow to take off.
At the North West Regional Assembly, Dion Ngute chaired a working session where ministries presented progress on infrastructure led by the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, and C2D-supported schemes.
The working session was followed by site visits where the Prime Minister, laid the foundation stone for the administrative block of the Mile 4 Nkwen market, inaugurated the Mile 4 Bridge in Nkwen, delivered under the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, and inspected other ongoing works across Bamenda.
These interventions, he stressed, demonstrate the government’s commitment to addressing urban decay and connecting communities long cut off by poor infrastructure.
Speaking after the commissioning, the Prime Minister described the road as more than a stretch of asphalt:
“These roads are for your comfort, for your benefit, a gift of the Head of State… We should take ownership of these roads and ensure they are preserved.”
Addressing crowds at the close of his visit, Dion Ngute appealed directly to the population: “Take ownership of these projects and protect them.” He urged those still fighting in the bushes to drop their arms and join what he called the “development bandwagon,” insisting that infrastructure can only thrive in peace.
The Prime Minister also tied the projects to the leadership of President Paul Biya, calling on citizens of the North West to show recognition and gratitude by voting for him in the 12 October 2025 presidential election.
For traders and farmers, the new roads promise reduced transport costs and better access to markets. For urban residents, the projects mean safer crossings, improved mobility and a chance at cleaner, more organised neighbourhoods.
For the state, the visit is also political. It is a bid to rebuild trust, demonstrate capacity and galvanise electoral support. Yet for the people of Bamenda, the greater hope lies in whether these roads and bridges will endure, and whether peace can return to allow development to flourish.
If protected and sustained and indicated by PM Dion Ngute, these projects could mark a turning point for the North West beginning from a region trapped in conflict and delay to one moving towards reconnection, growth and renewed opportunity.
By Hilltopvoices Newsroom
Email: hilltopvoicesnewspaper@gmail.com
Tel: 6 94 71 85 77
