Chinese-built highway inaugurated in southwestern Cameroon

A major Chinese-built highway in southwestern Cameroon was inaugurated on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Public Works Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi said the opening marked the completion of the first phase of the Kribi-Lolabe Highway.

The highway will facilitate the movement of vehicles and persons from any part of the country to Kribi Deep Seaport. "This is a jewel of development which will boost Cameroon's industrialization process," Djoumessi told reporters after a guided tour of the road.

The road, constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC), is the fruit of the close cooperation between China and Cameroon, said Minister of Finance Louis Paul Motaze.

The main line of the Kribi-Lolabe Highway is 38.5 km long, with two-way six lanes, of which the two lanes in the middle are reserved for future use, said Zhang Wenfeng, deputy general manager of CHEC Central Africa Division.

"Cameroon is a great country with many favourable conditions for development. The opening of the Kribi-Lolabe Highway today is a key step in breaking the bottleneck of economic development. The operation of the highway will greatly improve the business environment in Cameroon, increase employment and create an economic corridor that radiates around the country," Zhang said.