Residents of the Mvog Mbi and Mvog Atangana Mballa neighbourhoods in Yaounde have since June 13, 2015 been rejoicing over the humming of heavy-duty engines.

Tuesday July 14, 2015 at about 9:00 am, feet-deep mud covered the road around the Mvog Atangana Mballa Junction in Yaounde which hosts an overflow of the nearby market’s vendors of fresh foodstuff and assorted goods.

Surprisingly, motorists, pedestrians and even the roadside vendors were full of smiles and good cheer as the mud was caused by water sprinkled earlier by the company in charge of rehabilitating the road, Arab Contractors Ltd.

“We are so happy because this work has commenced. We faced challenges with business because of mud or dust covering our foodstuff,” explained Dénise Nguenkoua T., a roadside foodstuff vendor in the Mvog Atangana Mballa Market. A resident of the neighbourhood, Michel Ndongo, also told Cameroon Tribune that the eroded road had given the market a sinister reputation, hence the joy since rehabilitation works started.

Thirty minutes later, three heavy-duty engines were seen scraping the old tar from the road on the second day of work to execute one of the four urban road projects of the Three-year Emergency Investment Plan which has entered its operational phase. “Our company is mobilising and deploying its staff and equipment progressively to deliver this project by the 12-month deadline,” said Arab Contractors Ltd’s Deputy Technical Director, Charcot Barthez Tchatchouang.

More than 1,000 metres away, around the Cami Toyota Vehicle Showroom, heavy-duty equipment belonging to another company, RAZEL, had caused traffic congestion while they worked on several portions of the Mvan-Mvog Mbi stretch of road which Cameroon Tribune reporters learnt, was part of the second road rehabilitation project covering the Nsimalen Roundabout-Tsinga Junction stretch.

A joint inspection team comprising officials of the Housing and Urban Development Ministry and the Yaounde City Council were seen supervising the work. According to the Housing Ministry’s works supervisor, Maurice Djinaki, works undertaken by Arab Contractors Ltd company will cost FCFA 7.3 billion while Razel will use FCFA 6.2 billion for its portion. Both companies are expected to complete works in 12 months.

The road rehabilitation works in Cameroon’s major cities constitute a key aspect of the FCFA 1,000-billion Three-Year Emergency Investment Plan announced on December 9, 2014 by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to speed up economic growth and improve living standards of Cameroonians.