Cameroon’s infrastructure is often described as the backbone that has never quite held. From crumbling interurban roads to patchy digital connections, the gap between ambition and delivery has defined the country’s development story for a long time. Yet, in the run-up to the 2025 presidential election, new projects are being showcased with renewed urgency which is a reminder that the next head of state will be judged not by plans, but by tangible progress.
In September 2025, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, acting as the President’s envoy, has been busy cutting ribbons and laying foundation stones. He inaugurated the Bipindi–Grand Zambi iron ore project in the South Region, a keystone in Cameroon’s mining strategy. Hours later, in Kribi, he laid the foundation stone for a new mineral terminal, designed to handle bulk exports and bolster the country’s ambition to become a regional logistics hub.
Days earlier, in Bamenda, the PM had opened the long-delayed Babadjou–Matazem–Welcome stretch of the Bamenda–Babadjou road, a critical corridor that had fallen into near ruin. He also launched works on the Bamenda Urban Crossing Project (Lot 4B), meant to ease traffic flow through the city, and received the Mile 4 Bridge in Nkwen, a long-awaited link for residents of Bamenda III. These events are not merely ceremonial: they are political signals, showing that infrastructure delivery remains central to Cameroon’s development promise.
Cameroon has made some progress, but the data show stubborn gaps. The World Bank estimates that poor infrastructure shaves at least two percentage points off annual GDP growth.
- Roads: Cameroon has about 121,000 km of road network, but only 6,000 km is paved (Ministry of Public Works, 2023). Maintenance is chronically underfunded, leading to recurrent collapses like those seen on the Babadjou–Bamenda highway.
- Energy: Access to electricity stands at 65 percent nationally, but falls below 25 percent in rural areas (World Bank, 2022). Frequent power cuts undermine productivity and digital access.
- Ports: The Port of Kribi, inaugurated in 2018, is now expanding with the mineral terminal launched this September, underlining the country’s bid to anchor Central Africa’s maritime trade.
- Rail: Cameroon’s rail system is limited to 1,100 km of track, mostly linking Douala, Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré. Modernisation plans have stalled since the 2016 Eséka disaster.
- Digital: Internet penetration is 42 percent (DataReportal, 2025). While mobile connections are expanding, broadband remains prohibitively expensive for most households, deepening the digital divide between urban elites and rural communities.
For years, government roadmaps such as the vision 2035 development plan and emergence by 2035 strategy have placed infrastructure at the heart of growth. Billions of CFA francs have been allocated often supported by Chinese loans, European Union grants, or African Development Bank financing. Yet, execution lags remain chronic.
A 2023 IMF review noted that project implementation delays, poor procurement practices and corruption have inflated costs by as much as 40 percent. The Bamenda–Babadjou road is emblematic: announced in 2013, abandoned in 2017 after security incidents, relaunched in 2019, and only partially inaugurated in 2025.
While bridges, ports and roads dominate political discourse, the real battleground may be digital infrastructure. With 58 percent of the population offline, Cameroon risks losing out on the knowledge economy. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy calls for affordable broadband in all member states by 2030. Cameroon lags, ranking 22nd out of 33 African countries assessed for internet affordability (Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2024).
Without investment in fibre-optic expansion, affordable devices, and digital literacy, the next generation risks being stranded on the wrong side of the information divide even if roads are tarred.
Infrastructure will be one of the most visible markers of the next president’s credibility. Roads that collapse, projects that stall, and digital services that remain inaccessible are not just economic costs, they are political liabilities.
The recent flurry of inaugurations is meant to reassure voters that progress is real. But voters will remember the daily struggles of transport, blackouts, and poor connectivity more than ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
The challenge for whoever wins in October 2025 is bigger than launching new projects, but to finish, maintain, and democratise access to infrastructure. Without that, Cameroon risks another decade of promises without delivery.
📊 Cameroon’s Infrastructure at a Glance
- Road Network: 121,000 km total; only 6,000 km paved (Ministry of Public Works, 2023).
- Economic Cost: Poor infrastructure cuts GDP growth by at least 2% annually (World Bank).
- Electricity Access: 65% national coverage; <25% in rural areas (World Bank, 2022).
- Ports: Kribi port expansion ongoing; mineral terminal foundation stone laid Sept 2025.
- Rail: 1,100 km of track; limited modernisation since 2016 Eséka disaster.
- Digital Divide: Internet penetration 42%; 58% of Cameroonians offline (DataReportal, 2025).
- Internet Affordability: Cameroon ranks 22nd of 33 African states (Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2024).
- Corruption & Delays: Infrastructure projects face cost overruns of up to 40% (IMF, 2023).
- Recent Projects:
- Bipindi–Grand Zambi iron ore project inaugurated (Sept 2025).
- Foundation stone for Kribi mineral terminal laid (Sept 2025).
- Bamenda–Babadjou road inaugurated (Sept 2025).
- Bamenda Urban Crossing works launched (Sept 2025).
- Mile 4 Bridge, Nkwen, received (Sept 2025).
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
Email: hilltopvoicesnewspaper@gmail.com
Tel: 6 94 71 85 77
Bakah Derick is an award-winning Cameroonian journalist and mediapreneur, serving as Vice President in charge of International Relations at the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union and leading Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd to amplify community voices and governance issues. With nearly 20 years in the field, his impactful reporting spanning human rights, environmental protection, inclusive development, and sports has earned him prestigious honours such as the 2024 VIIMMA Humanitarian Reporter of the Year and more. Email: debakah2004@gmail.com Tel: +237 675 460 750