AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND

CEMAC (CAMEROON- CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – CHAD)

TRANSPORT FACILITATION PROGRAM ON THE DOUALA-BANGUI AND DOUALA-N’DJAMENA CORRIDORS

SUMMARY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT

DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE (OINF) FEBRUARY 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1

2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND RATIONALE ...... 1 2.1 Program components ...... 1 2.2 Program rationale ...... 2

3. POLITICAL, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK ...... 3 3.1 Situation in Cameroun ...... 3 3.2 Situation in Chad ...... 4 3.3 Situation in Central African Republic...... 4

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM ENVIRONMENT ...... 5 4.1 Physical environment ...... 6 4.2 Population and poverty profile...... 8 4.3 Production and Marketing 9 4.4 Gender 10

5. PROJECT OPTIONS ...... 13 5.1 Without project option ...... 13 5.2 Construction of the road following the new alignment...... 13

6. POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATIVE AND OPTIMISATION MEASURES 14 6.1 Positive impacts ...... 14 6.2 Negative impacts during road works...... 15 6.3 Potential impacts during operation phase...... 18 6.4 Mitigative measures ...... 19

7. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MANAGEMENT...... 22

8. PROGRAM MONITORING ...... 23

9. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION...... 23

10. COMPLEMENTARY INITIATIVES ...... 24

11. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...... 27 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. The investments to be carried out under this program concern: (i) the rehabilitation and/or treatment of the critical points on the 990-km road between Douala-Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré - Garoua in Cameroon; (ii) widening into a dual carriageway of the 6-km road between Walia and Ngueli and resurfacing of 3 km in Chad; (iii) works on and asphalting of 260 km of the road between Garoua Boulaï and Ngaoundéré as well as the Kousséri by-pass road in Cameroon; (iv) works on and asphalting of the 154-km road between Bouar in Central African Republic, and Garoua Boulaï in Cameroon; (v) rehabilitation of the Garoua Boulaï - Kousséri road in Cameroon; (vi) construction of a 230-lm bridge over River Logone between Cameroon and Chad; (vii) construction of three single-check points at the borders, installation of a system of radio-communication and axle-load scales along the corridors and improvement of security/safety at the port/railway/road interfaces; (viii) rehabilitation of sections of the Douala- Ngaoundéré Railroad; and (ix) related works. The program cost is estimated at UA 454 million.

1.2. The program sector goal is to contribute to the strengthening of sub-regional economic integration and co-operation among CEMAC and ECCAS member States and the opening up of landlocked countries. At the specific level, the program aims to: (i) strengthen the customs union within CEMAC; (ii) improve the service level of the road and railway sections on the corridors and remove the obstacles to road traffic in a bid to reduce general transport costs and promote trade between Cameroon, the CAR and Chad; (iii) improve the durability of the investments by checking axle loads; and (iv) improve the living conditions of program area dwellers.

1.3. At the environmental level, the project is classified under category 1, taking into account type of work to be undertaken (asphalting of an earth road), its scale and the potential direct and indirect impacts which it can generate. In conformity with the Bank’s environmental policy requirements and those of Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic as well as environmental requirements and laws, three environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA), one for each country were conducted by well-known consulting firms.

1.4. This report is a consolidated summary of the ESIAs. The said assessments were made available to the public by the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Nature (MINEPN), the Ministry for the Environment and Water (MEE) and the Ministry for Water, Forestry, Hunting and Fishery, in charge of the Environment of Cameroon, of Chad and of the CAR, respectively, for information and any comments.

2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND RATIONALE

2.1 The pilot program components may be summarized as follows:

A. Road construction and rehabilitation comprising: (i) the construction and the asphalting of 414 km of road with a roadway of 7 m and two verges of 1.5 m each comprising the following sections : Garoua Boulaï-Ngaoundéré (254 km) and Kousséri by-pass (6 km) in Cameroon and Bouar-Garoua Boulaï (154 km) in CAR; (ii) the rehabilitation or the treatment of critical points over 992 km in Cameroon (Douala-Yaoundé, and Garoua-Maroua-Kousséri); (iii) widening of the dual- carriageway of the 6-km between Ngueli and Walia in Chad; (iv) the construction of a new 230-m bridge over River Logone between Cameroon and Chad; (iv) actions and measures to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment; (v) sensitization to 2

environmental protection, road safety, prevention against AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and malaria; (vi) studies on the 432 km Bangui-Bossembélé-Baoro-Bouar road in CAR; (vii) highway engineering in Cameroon and Chad and (viii) site inspection and supervision.

B. Ancillary works to improve the living environment and conditions of the population (see para 10.1.10-101.13).

C. Transport facilitation actions and measures include: (i) design of the radio- communication system, installation of an international highway terminal in N’Djaména and installation of a transport costs information system (TCKM); (ii) support to the improvement of the information systems linking users; (iii) support to the implementation of the Central African inter-State road transit (TIPAC); (iv) technical aid for the institutional organization of the corridor; (v) construction and equipment of 3 juxtaposed checkpoints at the Cameroon/Chad (Toubouro, Ngueli/Kousséri) and Cameroon/CAR (Garoua-Boulai) borders; (VI) supply and installation of radio-communication equipment and axle-load scales on the corridors; (vii) interconnection of the customs data processing systems in the CEMAC zone and harmonization and streamlining of the procedures at the Douala port authority; (viii) improvement of security and safety at the port and at rail/road/port/dry harbour interfaces; (ix) seminars / training/study trips /sensitization to the corridor concept; and (x) site inspection control supervision.

D. Institutional support and program management comprising: (i) technical assistance to SE-CEMAC and/or national customs services for management and implementation of the Customs Union and the entry into force of the CEMAC Trade and Transport Program and monitoring of the program activities; (ii) technical assistance to the DTP of CAR for program monitoring; (iii) support to the MITP of Cameroon and MIT of Chad; (iv) support to the implementation of long-term road management and maintenance contracts and axle- load control policies; (v) operationalization of program Coordination at the level of the CEMAC Executive Secretariat, the Joint technical Committee and the Directorates for Roads and Transport of the three countries charged with program monitoring; (VI) monitoring and evaluation of program impacts; (vii) training; (viii) financial and accounting audit; and (ix) capacity building at the DTT/CEMAC and the Directorates of Roads and Transport of the three countries charged with program monitoring (Coordinators, project officers, support staff, logistical and data-processing facilities, operation).

2.2 Program rationale

2.2.1 The implementation of this program will further strengthen regional economic integration and curb illicit charges, and consequently transport costs on the corridor. This will constitute a considerable positive impact on the activities of the populations of the program area in general and on those of the women in particular, who account for 52% of the population and cover more than 60% of the economic activities of the area. The major expected outcomes are: (i) improved transport conditions to access markets; (ii) increased agricultural incomes, reduced cost of health-related evacuations and better knowledge of the risks of diseases such as AIDS thanks to the public awareness campaigns to be conducted, (iii) reduction of the average distance covered to fetch drinking water, from 5 km to less than 1 km, as well as the time spent, thanks to 3 easy access through the tracks provided; (iv) improvement of health centres and 10% increase in the school attendance rate.

2.2.2 The program will enable increased accessibility and mobility of the populations to the basic services and trading centres. Moreover, the project buildings which will be reconfigured at the end of the project as well as the water points provided to the populations will serve as meeting and sensitization fora.

3. POLITICAL, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK

3.1 Situation in Cameroon

3.1.1 In Cameroon, the ESIA is based mainly on the following laws: Act n° 94/01 of 20 January 1994 on regulations governing forestry, wildlife and fishery, Act n° 96/12 of 5 August 1996: Framework law on environmental management, Decrees Nos.95/531-PM of 23 August 1995 to lay down the conditions for implementing the forestry regulations, 99/818/PM of 9 November 1999 to lay down the conditions for setting up and operating establishments classified as dangerous, unhealthy and noxious and 2005/0577/PM of 23 February 2005 to lay down the conditions for conducting environmental impact assessments. These different instruments provide the general legal framework of environmental management and ESIA in Cameroon and their conditions of implementation. Besides the laws, are Decree N°0009/MINEPN of 8 March 2005 to fix the various categories of operations subject to an environmental impact assessment ; for the public works sector, it is Act n° 96/67 of 08 April 1996 on the protection of national roads as amended by Act n° 98 of 14 July1998, and circular letter No. 00908/MINTP/DR: Guidelines for taking into account environmental impacts in road maintenance, which are used as the sectoral framework for ESIAs.

3.1.2 At the administrative level, at least ten government departments intervene in environmental management on a sectoral basis. Of those, five are directly involved in the management of the environment as concerns road works: and the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Nature (MINEPN); the Ministry of Public Works (MINTP); the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF); the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy (MINEE); the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Technological Development (MINMIDT). The Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Nature (MINEPN), which was created in April 1992, is responsible for environmental resources planning and management. It relies on the Inter- ministerial Committee of the Environment (ICE), which is charged inter alia, with giving opinions on environmental and social studies. At the operational level, it various programs have also been put in place, the most significant of which is currently the Environmental Sector Program (ESP).

3.1.3 Decree n°2005/330 of 6 September 2005 organizes the Ministry of Public Works, which is the executing agency for this program. It currently comprises a Division for the Protection of roads and the road environment. This Division is charged with road right-of-way- related expropriation and incorporation measures, in conjunction with the other competent government services. This Division has five technical officers whose capacities were enhanced thanks to training financed by donors, of which ADF.

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3.1.4 Besides the government departments, the public institutional framework is composed of decentralized structures including mainly: local authorities or councils, as well as grassroots or village communities; cross-cutting institutions comprising governmental policy implementation bodies. The major private institutions intervening in the environment are NGOs whose existence in the individual or collective form is governed by law N° 90/53 of 19 December 1990 on the freedom of association, village community associations, co-operatives, faith-based bodies and Green Parties.

3.2 Situation in CAR

3.2.1 In the CAR, at the institutional level, it is the Ministry for Water, Forestry, Hunting and Fisheries, in charged of the environment, which is responsible for the development, coordination and monitoring of the national environmental policy. It is the principal interlocutor of the various proponents of major projects presenting environmental risks and thus subject to an environmental impact assessment. Decree n° 06/237 relating to the organization and functioning of this Ministry lays down its duties.

3.2.2 The Ministry for Equipment and Disenclavement, which is the executing agency for this program, is charged with road maintenance and protection, as well as the inspection and construction supervision of public buildings. This Ministry has an Environmental Protection Unit. The unit comprises three environmentalists responsible for monitoring the implementation of environmental measures.

3.2.3 Other Ministries intervene in environmental matters, in particular the Ministry for the reconstruction of public buildings, town planning and housing, which intervenes in any allocation of land and expropriation for public purposes and the Ministry of Territorial Administration which plays a role in the various preliminary inquiries and public consultations relating to the implementation of projects, demarcations, evaluation of property and people to be displaced within the framework of expropriation and supervision of compensation payments.

3.3 Situation in Chad

3.3.1 In Chad, Act n°14/PR/98 of 17 August 1998 relating to environmental protection constitutes the framework for environmental protection. It defines the general principles of environmental protection which enables its sustainable management and protection from various forms of degradation in order to safeguard and develop the natural resources. These principles also aim at improving the living conditions of the populations. It reinforces and supplements Ordinance n° 14/63 of 28 March 1963 regulating hunting and environmental protection, decree n° 020 / PR of 1985 relating to taxes on hunting wildlife in partially protected or non-protected areas, decree n°019 of 1985 regulating the firewood trade and Act n°11/PR/95 of June 20 1995 relating to the mining code and its decree of implementation n°801/PR/95 and Act n°016/PR/99 relating to the water code.

3.3.2 This law provides that an environmental impact assessment is required for any project or structure works, which on account of their scope or their impact on the natural environment could affect the environment. This assessment is a precondition for any statement or administrative authorisation. Act n°14/PR/98 will be reinforced by legal instruments comprising 5 decrees of implementation and orders which are either in the process of being issued or are being drafted. Among these instruments are: the decree on environmental impact assessments and the list of project categories subject to it, the list of classified establishments, standards of emissions of toxic substances into the atmosphere.

3.3.3 At the institutional level, the Department of the Environment and Water is charged with coordinating the environmental protection policy. At the Directorate-General of Roads (DGR) of the Ministry for Infrastructure, there is an Environment and Safety Unit (CES) to monitor the environmental aspect in infrastructure projects. However, there are national plans and strategies on environmental management, including the National Plan of Action for the Environment (PNAE), the Regional Program of Environmental Information management (PRGIE), the National Network for Environmental Information management (RNGIE - Chad) and the Agency for Domestic Energy and the Environment (AED). Each Ministry must organize to comply with these plans and strategies. Accordingly, the Ministry for Infrastructure, which is the executing agency for this program, comprises the " Environment and Road safety " Unit and an anti-AIDS Committee, created respectively by decrees n°s 034/MTPT/SG/DGR of 20 July 2005 on the organization and duties of the DGR and 026/MTPT/SG/DAAFM/DRHP/SP/2005 on the appointment of members of the said Committee. The staff of this Unit comprises the Unit head and three environmental experts.

3.3.4 All the States of the Central African sub-region are signatories to the different international agreements and Protocols concerning the environment, notably: International Convention to Combat Desertification; Convention on Biodiversity; Climate Change Convention; Statement of principles on forest conservation; United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea including the regulations on the management of natural resources; Regional plan to fight against the degradation of the continent and to rehabilitate degraded zones; Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer; Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM ENVIRONMENT

4.1.1 The road works envisaged under this program relate to road sections which cross Cameroon from the south-east to the north, covering the Littoral, Centre, East, Adamaoua and North Provinces, and serving the towns of Douala, Yaoundé, Bertoua, Garoua Boulaï, Ngaoundéré, Garoua and Kousséri. This work also concerns road sections located in the eastern region of Chad, linking N’djamena to the Cameroon border and sections located in the South- eastern part of the Central African Republic (CAR), linking the Cameroon/CAR border to Bangui the capital. Road works will be completed on 59% of the 2 414 km representing the road length of the two corridors. These provinces and areas constitute the restricted program area. The extended program impact area associated with the indirect impacts of the program and facilitation measures primarily concerns the three countries (Cameroon, Chad and CAR), and second the other CEMAC countries and Nigeria.

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4.2 Physical Environment

Situation in the program area located at Cameroon

4.2.1 Cameroon is divided into 5 geo-ecological zones, three (3) of which are covered by this program, namely the Coastal Plain, the South-Cameroon Plateau and Northern Cameroon.

4.2.2 The Coastal Plain of an overall altitude of below 200 m spans the Littoral, South and South-west Provinces. With rainfall ranging from 2 000 to 10 000 mm, it is the rainiest part of Cameroon. It is characterized by maximum rainfall in September. The annual average temperature is around 26°C and the mean annual range is 2.8°C. Many rivers flowing through this plain belong to the Atlantic basin. Most of them flow into the sea from the hinterland. In addition to the Sanaga, there are the Nyong, Ntem, Moungo, Wouri, Mémé and Dibamba. The Sanaga River is used for hydroelectricity production, while the Wouri has a port terminal. The Coastal Plain consists of sedimentary alluvia also found in the Douala basin. The soils of the area are mostly ferralitic yellow and topomorphous. The climate gives rise to a coastal forest made up inter alia of mangroves even if interspersed with exceptional flora comprising many Atlantic forest trees. There is significant wildlife potential. Almost all the animal species of the Congo basin forests are present, the most famous being gorillas, chimpanzees, bongos and of many monkeys and duikers.

4.2.3 Administratively, the South-Cameroon Plateau comprises the Centre, South and East Provinces. Except for its south-eastern point which consists of plains, the rest is a single relief with altitudes ranging from 650 to 900m. It is mostly made up of ferralitic red, clayey, porous soils rich in humus due to accumulated plant cover. The heavy rainfall in the area causes leaching leading to soil impoverishment. This plateau belongs to the Guinean-type equatorial forest. It is characterized by its heat and its ambient moisture and rainfall varying between 1 500 and 2 000mm. The annual average temperature is around 25°C and hardly varies. The major rivers are: Nyong, Sanaga, in the Centre and South-east (Congo basin), Kadei, Dja and Ngoko. These rivers have an equatorial hydrological system with two high water peaks corresponding to the two rainy seasons. Their abundant fish stocks are exploited traditionally. The vegetation consists of evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. It is rich in wood species, the most developed being ebony, iroko, sapelli, mahogany and bubinga. The Plateau hosts a very substantial wildlife population comprising mammals such as elephants, buffaloes, panthers, antelopes, chimpanzees, gorillas, various species of monkeys, small rodents (hedgehogs, porcupines) as well as birds and insects.

4.2.4 Northern Cameroon, which is located between the 6th and the 13th degree of the Northern latitude, administratively covers the Adamaoua, North and Far-North Provinces. It is characterized by its natural and human diversity. There are highlands represented by the Adamaoua plateau and the Mandara Mounts, while the Bénoué basin lies between these two units and to the far North, the flood- plain of Logone or Lake Chad. This area has a tropical climate even if there are nuances: In terms of hydrography, the area belongs to the Niger basin, where the Bénoué and its tributaries are found, and to the Lake Chad basin with the Logone as its main river. These rivers are characterized by a Sahelian tropical system with low water levels in the dry season and high levels in the rainy season. They are the famous Mayo. The soils are varied, not very mature and mineral in the Far North, hydromorphic in the Bénoué basin and mostly 7 ferralitic on the Adamaoua plateau. There is great wildlife diversity in this ecological zone comprising inter alia giraffes, ostriches, elephants, lions, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. The national parks or game reserves of Waza, Bénoué, Faro, Pangare Djerem, Bouba Ndjida and Kalamaloué, which attract tourists, are located in Northern Cameron.

4.2.5 It is worth noting that, not far from the program area in Cameroon, there are two national parks: that of Kamaloué, 7 km from Kousseri which is a very popular tourist destination and that of Waza located 50 km from Kousseri). These two parks are home to a wide variety of wild life: warthogs, elephants, jackals, birds, etc.)

Situation in the program area located in CAR

4.2.6 Generally speaking, the program area is in the sub-humid zone of average altitude, with mean annual rainfall ranging from 1400 to 1700 mm and temperatures from 19° C to 31° C. The relief along the Bouar - Garoua Boulaï route is essentially undulating. The town of Bouar lies at an altitude of approximately 1000 m and that of Garoua Boulaï, 1250 m approximately. The zone presents many outcrops, partially composed mainly of micas and granites (gneissic granite). There are numerous mounds or giant anthills. These signs indicate that there are old forest regrowths that are encroaching on the savannah. The appearance is that of degraded savannah with trees and shrubs and lush herbaceous cover. Several species with xerophytic tendencies that are acclimatized to the region have been listed. Rampant fires have engendered self-defence phenomena such as bark thickening or hard and thin barks among species. There is a sizeable gallery forest around River Nana (Gallo) exploited by the company BTD (Bois Tropicaux et Divers). Various surveys in this forest have revealed amongst others the presence of the following species Doussié, Dibetou, Mahogany, Iroko, Bété and Anigré. Marshland vegetation is noticeable around the various riverbeds. There are bright red plant-covered anthill cathedrals in certain places. The road right-of-way is only slightly wooded along most of its length.

4.2.7 The soils are composed of sands of granitic origin and/or are mostly ferralitic, and of a bright red colour. The megaliths of Bouar have kept their original characteristics. They are distinguishable in terms of structure, function and geomorphology by their location at river sources and their orientation or always facing the direction of the river, their almost identical thickness, the presence of cists around the site and their concentric nature. The zone is believed to be rich in game (grassland buffaloes, sinou, cobs, giant pangolins, genets, parkas). Hippopotamuses and crocodiles in River Nana and some migratory elephants are often noticed in the area.

Situation in the program area located in Chad

4.2.8 Since 2002, Chad is divided into 18 administrative regions, of which the city of N’Djaména, which enjoys a special status under Act n° 009/PR/05 of 15 July 2005. The immediate program area in Chad consists of the town of N’Djaména and its environs. The program area is entirely located within the Sudanese-Sahel climatic system which is characterized by two clearly contrasting seasons: a rainy season from June to September and a dry season from October to May. The annual rainfall of the project area is irregular and varies between 450 and 600 mm and temperatures are rather high. During the hot season, the maximum 8 mean temperature exceeds 35°C (March to April) and the minimum mean is around 25°C in the cold period (December to February). Two dominant winds blow in the area, namely the north- to -east harmattan, November to May, and the south- to- west monsoon, June to October. The two rivers Chari and Logone whose confluence is located around N’Djamena constitute an element essential to the city’s existence.

4.2.9 The vegetation is mostly anthropogenic. It comprises orchards, plantations, small aquatic weeds with river flood bed riparian formations and relics of natural vegetation. Between these two formations, truck farming is practised on a large scale. In the orchards, there are Anacardiaceae, Myrtaceae and Bignoniaceae. Truck farming is a major activity. Apart from rodents and wild birds, large mammals are virtually non-existent. However, it would seem that the Logone is home to many hippopotamuses which destroy the market-gardening beds, for lack of floating aquatic plants which are their basic food.

4.2.10 In the program area, there are wells of an average depth of 12 to 17 meters in certain homesteads, and boreholes of up to 50 m for water supply purposes especially to N’Djamena, Walia and Nguéli. At the start of the rainy season, the water is muddy. That is due to sediment- loaded run-off and human-induced activities (moulding of sun-dried bricks, sand extraction, truck farming.

4.3 Population and poverty profile

4.3.1 In Cameroon, the program area population is estimated at 5 500 000 inhabitants with a growth rate of between 3.3% and 3.7%. The density is 106 inhab/km2 in the Littoral Province, 6 inhab/km2in the East province and approximately 78 inhab/km2 in the Far North Province, which is the most populated province of Cameroon.

4.3.2 In the CAR the program area population is estimated at approximately 234 000 inhabitants of which 50% women. Per capita density is about 8 inhab/ km2. The population growth rate is 2.3%. Projections based on the studies of 1992 (household consumption survey) and 1996 (studies on the poverty profile) and the results of urban and rural household surveys conducted in 2003, reveal that the poverty incidence in Central Africa was estimated at 67% for a threshold of $1 per day PPP. The poorest 20% of the population consumed only 2% of total expenditure as against 65% for the richest 20%. GDP per capita data reveal that the poverty incidence of 2000 rose compared to the 1993 value since GDP per capita gradually decreased from $349 in 1995 to $ 255 in 2000. Thus, a significant proportion of the population is still witnessing a decline in its standard of living. Today, 71% of Central Africans live below the poverty line against 63% in 1993. 82% of the population lives in poor and vulnerable households in rural and urban areas.

4.3.3 In Chad, the total population concerned by the implementation of the program is estimated at 1 360 000 inhabitants and is increasing at the rate of 3% per year. According to the national poverty reduction strategy paper (NPRSP), Chad’s human poverty index was estimated at 57%, meaning that in 1999 in Chad, 6 persons out of 10 showed deficits in terms of life expectancy, health, education and wellbeing. It should be recalled that the NPRS is the fulfilment of the commitment made by the Government within the framework of Chad’s eligibility to the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative put in place by the IMF and the 9

WB. For more than three decades, the socio-economic indicators in Chad in general, and in the project area in particular, are among the lowest in Sub-Saharan African countries. Indeed, less than ten years ago, 54% of the population were below the poverty line, despite a growth dynamic noted since the end of the war. In the project area , in spite of a relatively buoyant economy, Walia and Nguéli belong to the commune of N’Djaména, which had an overall poverty incidence of 35.0 between 1995 and 1996 (DSEED, 1997). This therefore means that it is also characterized by its extreme poverty. The HDI of the Chari-Baguirmi region is around 0.43 against 0.406 at the national level.

4.4 Production and Marketing

4.4.1 In Cameroon, the principal activity of the rural inhabitants of all the zones is subsistence as well as cash crop farming. Throughout the Douala – Yaoundé- Garoua Boulaï road section, cash crop farming is dominated by cacao farming and oil palm growing, which is the main source of cash incomes. Subsistence farming concerns plantains, bananas, corn, tomatoes, soft bananas and squash, and cash crop farming coffee and cocoa. Poultry farming is highly developed. Fishery is primarily practised in Kellé, Ngwopi, Maholé, Ngwei and in Sanaga. There are almost no fish ponds. The main species caught are gudgeons, catfish, shrimps, crabs etc. Hunting concerns mainly rodents and reptiles. The hunting and fishing products are intended for sale and for household consumption. Plantains, cassava, and fruit are primarily intended for consumption. The main fruit trees are: mango, avocado, orange, guava and papaw. The principal livestock products are: cows, goats, sheep, pigs and chicken. Logging companies are rare along the highway. The bulk of the logs which transit via the Ayos-Bonis road come from the CAR, Gabon, Yokadouma, Bertoua, Dimako, Mindourou, Lomié, Palisco, Messamema, Mbang, Libongo, Mouloundou, Batouri. Therefore on this road, there are no logs coming from the Dja reserve where measures are taken to combat illicit logging and poaching.

4.4.2 In the CAR, with the exception of the savannah cotton belt where animal draught cultivation is practised by some households, Central African agriculture is poorly developed. Regarding food crop production in the project area, the following can be distinguished: root crops and tubers (cassava, sweet potatoes, collocasia and cocoyams); grain (corn, millet, fonio, eulesine); oilseeds (groundnuts, sesame, soya); bananas, plantains, squash, and melons, etc. Besides these food crops which occupy 65% of the acreage, there are also vegetable and fruit crops whose acreage and production are not well-known. Farming methods are rudimentary and the fallow period is often disregarded. Cassava (1million tons/year) occupies a special place in this agriculture as it constitutes the staple food of the Gbaya, who consume it in various forms. Its production is mostly intended for household consumption. Groundnuts (83 000 tons/year approximately) are also consumed by households just as are bananas, sesame, sweet potatoes, yams, palm oil. Corn and rice are making progress. Cotton production dropped from 60 000 tons to 28 000 tons of seed cotton.

4.4.3 Chad is among the least developed countries (LDC). The GNP per capita is estimated at USD 180. Life expectancy at birth is 47 years. The economy is insufficiently industrialized and very fragile. The majority of the Chadian population lives on agriculture and cattle breeding. Chad exports mainly cotton, cattle and gum arabic. Cotton is indeed Chad’s leading export ahead of cattle and gum Arabic, representing in volume over 44.5% of exports. Chad started exporting oil in 2004 (exploitation of the oilfields in Logone Oriental region). Initially envisaged to reach 10

225 000 barrels per day (bpd), average oil production was in fact set in 2005 at around 180 000 bpd. Food crop production contributes therefore accounts for 44.1 % of the GDP and occupies 80% of the workforce. The secondary sector for its part accounts for 20% of the GDP. The tertiary sector dominated by the informal sector is dynamic and in full expansion. It represents 40% of the GDP. In the program area, there is small-scale peri-urban farming. However, truck farming which generates considerable financial incomes is successfully practised along the river where there are also orchards (in particular mangos) which benefit many. Stockbreeding is a major activity in Chad and accounts for 16 % of the GDP.

4.4.4 In Cameroon, in the program area, trading activities concern all the sub-sectors of activity. In areas with road section works (Garoua Boulaï-Ngaoundéré), the commercial activities are primarily foodstuff trade and the purchase of manufactured goods coming mainly from the South of the country. Most of the villages along the NH1 have a weekly market on different days of the week, except for Toubaka. The small markets of Wak and Ndom Bénoué are set up on the roadside while the bigger markets of Mbé, Gamba and Ndong occupy special areas without encroaching on the roadway.

4.4.5 In the CAR, most of the population is in the subsistence economy. Farming is the main occupation of the people. It involves exclusively food production as there is virtually no cash crop. The acreage is generally small, cultivated using slash and burn methods. Agricultural production is hardly diversified and poor. Apart from the cotton savannahs where animal draught is practised by certain households, Central Africa’s agriculture is confirmed as undeveloped. The holdings arranged in demarcated blocks in the savannah or gallery forests are cleared manually at the beginning of the dry season. The fallow land is generally burned at the beginning of the rains in March. Tilling is manual using rudimentary implements. The factors of production are only very slightly used (for food, fruit and vegetable crops) in the absence of credit and sufficient basic technical training.

4.4.6 In Chad, trading is very developed in Nguéli and Kousséri being border towns. There are several trade categories: established trade where goods are displayed in shops along the roadway; this trade concerns essential goods, clothing, foodstuffs. etc.; trade in makeshift stalls; this trade which is practised by the women concerns local and/or imported fruits and vegetables; hawking which concerns sundry products, but notably drinks and pastry; food selling and grills. There are also transit activities, intermediaries of all sorts and motor cycle taxis. These activities fetch substantial incomes for those involved. 70 % of the women with an income, derive it from petty trade (wood, coal, fish, water or frozen juice, sand etc). Trading equipment is limited to shops and stands mentioned earlier. The open air non-fixed-up cattle park is just beside the customs area. The heavy trucks terminal is not fixed up either.

4.5 Gender

4.5.1 Despite their highly dominant share in subsistence and household management activities, women remain disadvantaged as regards access to secondary and higher education, leadership and decision-making, as well as their participation in public life. In general, the man’s status prevails in his relationship with women. The men are those who manage the land, as in the majority of the Provinces of Cameroon. They are particularly engaged in cash crop production (cocoa, coffee).

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4.5.2 In the program area in Cameroon, women are required to do farming and household chores, and are responsible for all farm work apart from clearing (slash and burn) and tilling. Besides these activities are the daily tasks of attending to children (care, education, etc.), supplies (collection of water, firewood for cooking, wild fruits and medicinal plants) and housekeeping (cooking, cleaning, etc). In general, rural women have very limited access to the factors of production, be they physical (tools, inputs, etc.) or non- physical (credit, training, etc). Regarding the latter factors, isolation due to the bad state of roads constitutes a major constraint. It should be recalled first of all, that polygamy is still rife in the Adamaoua, North and the Far North Provinces: according to the 2004 ESDC-III, 37.8 % of Adamaoua women aged between 15 and 49 are in a polygamous marriage. This figure stands at 30.7 % for the whole country. The mean age at first marriage is approximately 15.5 years in the two Provinces against 17.6 years for the whole country. This early marriage may, at least partially, account for the low school enrolment of girls.

4.5.3 The 2004 ESDC-III also showed that, among married women, only 35 % reportedly had a final say in decisions concerning their own health care, this proportion being 39 % for major household purchases. However, there is some emancipation among women of the Southern area of the project; they are developing self-reliance attitudes and are fairly dynamic in the associations. A growing number of parents are transferring part of their property to their major children who exploit it autonomously. This evolution of customs contributes to stabilizing the youth in the villages.

4.5.4 On the Douala –Yaoundé section, the populations of the crossed villages benefit from vaccine coverage, due to the existence of numerous health facilities and in particular to the proximity of the towns of Douala, Yaoundé and Edéa, but also to easy means of transport. Common diseases in the program area are: malaria, diarrhoeas, intestinal parasites, sores, cough, jaundice, yaws, typhoid, dysentery, rheumatism, hernia, filaria, dental decay, scabies, STI/AIDS. H IV seroprevalence in the East Province as determined at the time of the EDSC-III 2004 is 8.6 %. In the Bertoua – Garoua Boulaï area, in 1999, of the 300 screened volunteers aged between 15 and 40 years, 26.6% were AIDS carriers

4.5.5 In the Adamaoua, North and Far North Provinces, the mortality rates are absolutely alarming, for example, more than one out of 5 children born in the North and Far North Provinces die before the age of 5 years. The low vaccine coverage rate noted in these provinces, where only 20 % of the children receive all the vaccinations, definitely plays a significant role in this excess mortality. The HIV seroprevalence in Adamaoua Province that was determined at the time of the EDSC-III 2004 stands at 6.9 %. The high level of seroprevalence in Adamaoua is due mainly to that of women: approximately one out of 10 women is HIV infected as against one out of 14 men.

4.5.6 According to the 2003 PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper) the Government has embarked on measures to (i) support women’s access to credit and to factors of production and promote women’s entrepreneurship (ii) eliminate prejudice and discrimination in girl-child education and promote civic, economic, political, moral and legal education of women and girls, (iii) in general, sensitize the population and women in particular to the importance of a clean environment for health and (iv) improve women’s knowledge of family planning and popularize responsible parenthood, etc.

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4.5.7 The promotion of gender equality and equity in all sectors of national life will enable gender mainstreaming in development programs and projects and enhance the gender approach capacities of women’s advancement professionals. The authorities intend to achieve this through a series of actions ranging from advocacy to the putting in place of a gender approach coordination mechanism in development activities through the training of decision makers, planners, as well as that of government staff charged with women’s issues and the publication of a practical gender awareness handbook, etc.

4.5.8 To ensure the strengthening of existing structures and institutional mechanisms, the authorities intend to (i) set up an autonomous structure for the collection, centralization, analysis and dissemination of data and information on women’s status (ii) strengthen the intervention capacities of field actors in the field of women’s advancement, and (iii) strengthen the capacities of the decentralized or specialized structures of the government department charged with women’s issues, notably women’s advancement centres and appropriate technology centres.

4.5.9 In the CAR, statistical data reveals wide disparities between the sexes and regions: primary education is characterized by very low enrolment. The net enrolment rate (NER) currently stands at 39.79%. Consequently 60.2% of children aged 6 to 11 years are not in the classes corresponding to their ages. This situation is due to nationwide shortage of schools as well as teachers, which limits the system’s intake capacity and accessibility.

4.5.10 School drop-out rate is 32% in primary schools, and 26% in secondary education. The girls’ school drop-out rates in Elementary - l and Elementary -2 are higher than those of boys and the parity index is 0.68 in E1 and 0.60 in E2. School enrolment rates for girls in rural areas are definitely lower than those of Bangui and the large provincial towns. The causes of these school drop-outs are parental poverty, school failure, customs and practices, distances to school, lack of intake facilities, etc.

4.5.11 The women of the Mambere Nana are very active in farming. Very often gathered in associations or groups, they engage in food production and market gardening. Women are in particular responsible for sowing, weeding (upkeep), harvesting, packaging (in flour form) and sale. Men do the clearing and tilling.

4.5.12 In the program area in Chad, the role of women in agro-pastoral activities is hardly known and their work is considered unaccounted-for housework. Whereas, the activities traditionally reserved for women are certain farming activities (market gardening, rice growing, flood-water cultivation, etc), breeding of small ruminants and poultry, processing of farm and fish products (fish drying and smoking, etc.) and handicrafts (pottery, basket making, tanning, etc). In addition, they account for most of the petty trade in food or handicraft items produced in the family unit. The female populations in Chad face two major types of constraints: on the one hand, problems concerning the status and the living conditions of women. The social and cultural structures continue to weigh heavily on the social and the economic status of women. They remain submissive to their husbands and acquire some independence, albeit relative, only at a ripe age. Women seem to be under guardianship throughout their lives: guardianship of parents, guardianship of husbands (very early marriage) and that of in-laws. Hence, it seems that the social environment with its practices, requirements and constraints grant little independence and authority to women in decision-making, both within the family and in the community. In 13 addition, there is ecosystem degradation resulting in water and firewood supply problems, the reduction, or even disappearance of certain food-collection items. Despite the role of women in income- generating activities, the productivity of their work remains low given their extremely limited access to the factors and means of production. In Nguéli, they engage only in minor catering and fruit sale. In the project area and more especially in Nguéli, men carry out most of the trading and other economic activities.

5. PROJECT OPTIONS

5.1 Without project’ Option

5.1.1 To date, on the Douala-Ndjaména and Bouar-Garoua Boulaï international highways, there are still earth road sections that are in a bad state and others which though paved, are old and require either rehabilitation or reinforcement. Their upgrading to meet international standards, likely to facilitate transport and transit consequently implies carrying out substantial investments, without which the desired millennium development goals will be unattainable in the Central African sub-region. The consequences of the alternative without project are inter alia, lack of fluidity of traffic and blockage of sub- regional integration, worsening of poverty in the areas concerned and lack of contribution to the development of trade between Chad, CAR and Cameroon. This option definitely needs to be ruled out. The “without project " option is not in conformity with the policies of economic and social development of Cameroon, Chad, CAR and the donors, nor with the principles of revival of socio-economic growth.

5.2 Option envisaged

5.2.1 The redevelopment and paving of the existing highway are the options adopted for the Garoua Boulaï Ngaoundéré and Bouar- Garoua Boulaï highway project. This option enables the improvement of the characteristics of the current road and reduction of the impacts of the project right-of-way on the environment. Indeed the alignment chosen follows the present one over more than 95% of the distance, thus substantially limiting earth removal on the road right-of-way, destruction of the flora and fauna and the property of roadside dwellers, modification of the landscape, etc. In view of the sustainability and optimization of flow of goods and people, the alternative adopted represents the best “cost/benefit” compromise between the various options available. At the technical, economic, environmental and social level, this option is the best. In the case of the Garoua Boulaï-Ngaoundéré section, the road works will follow the current road alignment to the maximum. However, according to prefeasibility studies, 35alignment corrections or alternatives were made in various places to improve the geometrical characteristics and to reduce its length. These alternatives concern the type of surfacing and the layouts identified by the prefeasibility studies.

5.2.2 For Chad, the present bridge over the Nguéli will be maintained for pedestrians, cyclists and cattle and a new double-lane bridge will be built about fifty meters from the site of the present bridge. The filler blocks will coated with a 4-mm single-layer sealing. The surface course will be in 6-cm thick bituminous concrete. The site of this bridge was selected taking into account the geotechnical characteristics of the soil and the environmental aspects in order to reduce expropriation to the bare minimum.

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6. POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATIVE AND OPTIMISATION MEASURES

6.1 Positive impacts

6.1.1 This road will generate numerous positive impacts. The most significant will be: (i) improved quality of life of local people, (ii) business opportunities for local enterprises which will be able to win subcontracts from the contractor during the project, (iii) employment for local people, in particular youth, (iv) increased demand for food services, drinks, food and manufactured consumer products, housing and transport in the project area, (v) constant supplies to traders and evacuation of manufactured goods to consumer points, (vi) land value increase in the project area, (vii) development of ecotourism and game tourism, notably at Lakes Tyson, Afrique and Mbalang, the Vina, Tello, Mbalang Djalingo, and Lancrenon waterfalls, Mounts Ngaoundéré, Dohitahaï, and Ngangha peak, the Ramboum caves, the Mbé cliffs , the Ngaoundaba, Baledjam, Seraba E Amao ranches, the Bénoué, Faro, Bouba Djida, Waza and Kalamaloué national parks, (viii) increased production and marketing of farm produce and handicrafts driven by demand, (ix) easy evacuation of agro-pastoral products, (x) facilitation of emergency evacuations from the villages to the district hospitals in the corridor area in terms of time and costs, (xi) better equipment and improvement of supplies to health centres in the project area, (xii) development of goods and passenger transport in both directions, (xiii) reduced goods and passenger transport costs, (xiv) greater sub- regional integration, (xv) easier movement of development agents charged with women’s advancement activities, (xvi) increased enrolment of children and girls, (xvii) improved NGO intervention capacities (xviii) revitalization of actions of farmer organizations and NGOs, (xix) easier mobilization of the populations for the implementation of community projects (xx) intermingling of the different cultures with its corollary, the emancipation of local people ( adoption and practice of modern lifestyles) and strengthening of national and sub-regional integration, (xxi) development of the values of tolerance and acceptance of differences (reduction of the identity assertion phenomenon (xxii) more effective fight against illicit forest exploitation and poaching. On the whole, the project will contribute to poverty reduction and the improvement of the living environment and conditions of the population. Women will benefit most. Moreover, with direct links to Cameroon, Chad and the CAR, the project will strengthen regional integration.

6.1.2 In Chad, the new bridge and the back-up infrastructures will gradually ease traffic, access to the socio-cultural, educational, health and administrative facilities, dwellings as well as farms located on either side of the Logone River and bring closer together the peoples of Cameroon and Chad. One of the most significant positive impacts is definitely, the decongestion of the present bridge over the Logone River in Nguéli. Indeed, the new bridge and its access ways will enable traffic flow between the two countries. In addition, the agro-pastoral and fish products from Cameroon and Nigeria and Chadian products (e.g. cattle, Natron) will henceforth be easily evacuated to the capital N’djamena and other neighbouring countries. Moreover, the new bridge and the infrastructures will facilitate access to the districts around N’Djaména for travellers coming by road from Nigeria, and Kousséri. 15

6.1.3 Regarding gender, the women of the area on the Cameroonian side and Chadian side alike, are seriously engaged in income- generating activities. Many socio-economic activities are controlled by women. The project will thus benefit women, insofar as for all the aforementioned women’s activities (notably food services and sale of local products), it will fetch incomes for the owners and consequently for women. The children of the project area, like many children in the country are affected by malnutrition, diarrhoeal diseases and other diseases caused by an unhygienic and unclean living environment. The project will also benefit them thanks to the contribution of protein-energy elements contained in the fruit and vegetables from the market- gardening activities and especially imports from outside the project area, with the back-up infrastructures which will be provided and the health monitoring which this segment of the population will enjoy.

6.1.4 The project will definitively improve access by Chad and the Central African Republic to the port of Douala. The paramount importance of this project for the economies of Chad and the Central African Republic is evident as the port of Douala remains their main outlet to the sea. These two corridors are the gateway par excellence of all essential manufactured goods, foodstuffs and even of energy sources such as oil, gas and gasoline to Bangui and consequently the entire CAR.

6.2 Negative Impacts During Project Works

6.2.1 The Douala-Ndjaména and Douala-Bangui corridors run through several ecological zones such as forests, savannas, plains, hills, rivers, etc., besides the farms, cities and villages. The environmental impacts will be significant but controllable through the implementation of appropriate measures and strict monitoring. During the implementation of the project as well as during its operation the following negative impacts could occur.

Human Environment

6.2.2 During road works, the dust and fumes generated (clearing of the right-of-way, construction work, and bitumen preparation site) may generate various nuisances and respiratory diseases among roadside dwellers in the localities crossed. In the work areas, the noise of the earthmovers and dynamite blasts will disturb the usual quiet of the natural environment (borrow sites and quarries, project water supply sites). The noise will generate nuisance to project site dwellers. In addition, in the urban and village areas (such as Ngaoundéré, Garoua Boulaï, Meidougou, Mbéré, Meingaga, Kousseri in Cameroon; Nguéli in Chad; Béloko, Zoukouna, Gounté, Famélé in CAR) Bachuo, Kendem, Bator), the vibrations of the earthmovers may affect non- stabilized brick structures. On the Cameroon side, certain villages will be isolated, in particular Dankali, Mangoli, Bata and Dibi Delel.

6.2.3 The program envisages expropriation of property on the two corridors as follows:

(i) Garoua Boula-Kousseri:1594 dwellings mostly of semi-permanent materials, belonging to 1434 owners (1141 families); 30 graves; 216 399 ha of land and food crops; 1494 trees; 16 straw sheds; 2 schools; 12 wells; 15 religious facilities; 6 other buildings. It is noteworthy that only 160 (one hundred and sixty) people will be displaced despite the numerous names featuring on the list, given that the majority of the houses are secondary dwellings occupied only periodically during the year for specific purposes (farming periods). 16

(ii) Kouss2ri-N’djaména: 15 dwellings mostly of semi-permanent materials and belonging to 15 families; 3075 ha of land; 14 trees; 14 straw sheds; and 21 buildings in semi-permanent materials;

(iii) Bouar-Garoua Boulaï section 176 dwellings mostly of semi-permanent materials and belonging to 126 families; 35 graves; 11 ha of food/cash crops; 542 trees; and 41 straw sheds. During project works the following infrastructures will be affected: 2 playgrounds; 2 markets; 2 religious facilities; 1 school; and 2 boreholes.

6.2.4 This displacement consists in shifting back 25 to 100 meters from the road right-of- way. In the program area, as the populations are attached to their homeland, they are unwilling to move. It is not therefore a question of mass displacement of several families from one point to another, but rather of individual, light and localised displacements of each family concerned. Furthermore, electricity and water supply disruptions may occur where the corresponding networks have not been displaced beforehand.

6.2.5 There is risk of a rise in the prevalence rate of sexually transmitted diseases and STI/AIDS due to the huge influx of project workers. There are possibilities of an upset of traditional ways of thinking and customs and practices during the project; project workers’ behaviours could upset local traditions and foster moral dissolution (prostitution, banditry, drug addiction) and misconduct (adultery) and the sovereignty of the local populations.

6.2.6 Local traffic flow will be affected during the project, with temporary consequences on the goods and services transport, higher risks of road accidents, direct transport costs and access to socio-educational and religious facilities. The problems of safety of users and locals created by the movement of the trucks and equipment, as well as accident risks involving cattle could rise.

6.2.7 During the project, the uncontrolled disposal of worksite solid and liquid wastes (cut, sundry residues, etc.) could degrade the immediate living environment of the project site, as the outlets may be transformed into wild dumps. This phenomenon will be particularly exacerbated during the earthworks which will generate substantial amounts of residue.

Natural Environment

6.2.8 On the whole, the air quality and noise impacts will be definitely limited in both time and space. The scope of the emissions will in any case be very limited considering the extent of the area covered and the low level of emission of pollutants. This aspect is not therefore a decisive factor in the program, if basic prevention measures are taken.

6.2.9 Activities such as project site lay-out, opening of borrow pits and earthworks, the new provisional and final right-of-ways, movement of equipment outside these right-of-ways may generate negative impacts on soil structure and texture and create niches for vectors of diseases such as malaria, among others.

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6.2.10 During surfacing, asphalting and road marking, soil degradation and contamination effects could occur. Given the high rainfall in certain sections on the Cameroon and CAR side, the danger of erosion of the slopes, the embankments and cuts or exposed areas will be higher, as long as a there is no pioneer vegetation to stabilize the soils. The risks of headwater erosion at the points of discharge of torrential rainwater are also significant if these discharges are not carefully planned and if specific works are not provided to contain them. The impact of the road works on the soil will be moderate if certain measures are taken at project design and implementation stages.

6.2.11 There are also potential risks of oil and hydrocarbons spillage during the works. Such unforeseeable accidents could be avoided if strict instructions are given to the drivers: respect for safety speed limits and project site road signs.

6.2.12 The opening and the exploitation of borrow sites, temporary deviations during construction of structures and bridges will undoubtedly entail earthworks. Modification of topsoil properties (loss of fertility, indirect impact on crops, soil depth reduction, and modification of soil structure) could also occur during operations. These effects will be reversible in the medium-term if site restoration measures are taken.

6.2.13 The works scheduled could also generate the following effects: (i) deterioration of surface and ground water quality through contamination by bituminous substances and hydrocarbon products; (ii) temporary deterioration of surface water by entrainment of fine particles; (iii) modification of the natural water drainage systems (iv) possible disturbance of fresh water source heads and destruction of standpipes located on the alignment. As regards the construction of a new bridge over the Logone River, the environmental problems likely to arise would concern water pollution beginning with the discharge of building materials and waste emanating from project works, movement of the trucks and the equipment transporting building materials, deviation/obstruction of the river, etc and as well industrial accidents. In addition, mud deposits extracted from the river to install the piles of the bridge, will also have negative impacts on the soil, even if only the negative visible impacts and possible soil pollution.

6.2.14 During road works, water needs will be substantial (for the project site, for watering/compacting, etc). Most of this water would come from the numerous rivers in the area. Such collection of water could somewhat disturb the quality of these rivers, notably in the areas with rainfall deficit, but will have no major effects on the consumption of the local populations.

Biological environment

6.2.15 Clearing or tree felling will be significant only where the future alignment deviates considerably from the present one. All the alignments follow initial ones, except at specific places for safety or technical/economic reasons. In case of the contrary, the main threats will be some encroachments in the forest belt, the destruction of the some umbrella and fruit trees, cash crops, food crops and natural herbaceous and woody vegetation growing on the present road right-of-way and skirting it, constituting its principal landscape. On the Chadian side, the opening of plant cover concerns only the right-of-way of the crossovers to the new bridge (existing access ways that will be maintained). The area concerned is small: a width of 32 to 41 m over a cumulative distance of 5.5 km on the right bank and 0.75 km on the left bank (Kousséri side), that is approximately 20 to 25.625 ha.

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6.2.16 Other potential impacts during road works would concern: (i) poaching which is likely to intensify owing to the presence of personnel of the project contractor; (ii) flight of animals from the noise caused by project equipment, etc. This impact is however limited in time and space. The emissions of gas and dust from movement on the roads under construction or the deviations, and asphalt mixing plants also constitute sources of impacts on the natural environment. Indeed, these emissions can affect the quality of ambient air, the dust and gas emissions settling on leaves and the tree trunks, can obstruct plant photosynthesis processes. Such impacts will be particularly felt in farming areas.

6.3 Potential impacts in operational phase

6.3.1 The potential operational phase impacts will be: the aggravation of the phenomena finger erosion in the lowlands (in the rainy season) owing to the increase in paved surfaces. This phenomenon will be particularly pronounced in villages with very clayey soils.

6.3.2 Improvement of the quality of road sections will result in a higher frequency of traffic and movement. These could constitute factors of risk and potential accidents, not only for roadside dwellers and road users, but also for domestic animals and wildlife crossing the roads, in protected areas and population centres. Furthermore, the road improvement will bring about a foreseeable increase in heavy vehicles traffic, notably, those transporting dangerous or hazardous substances, hydrocarbons, chemicals, organic pollutants, etc, that may constitute factors of environmental risk, in case of spillage.

6.3.3 Thanks to the quality of the highway which will henceforth be an all-season road, one can expect an influx of people from all walks of life for various activities: trading, sightseeing, hiking, holiday, etc, all of which could exert additional stress on the natural resources, cause socio-cultural disturbances and conflicts, undermine local customs and the harmony of customs and practices.

Biological environment

6.3.4 In Chad, increased traffic could induce increased pollutant deposits (generated from fuel combustion and tyre wear, various spills such as hydrocarbons, oils etc.) on the roadway and the new bridge. These pollutants will be regularly eluviated during the rains and will contribute, to a limited extent owing to dilution following the commissioning of the infrastructures, to the deterioration of surface and ground water quality.

6.3.5 Increased vehicle and motorcycle traffic and speed will perpetuate sound nuisance around the animals and increase their mortalities. Collisions will occur with the slight increase in vehicle frequency. This negative impact will be permanent and will occur once the road is commissioned.

6.3.6 The forest belt of the program has been exploited, although it still contains substantial wildlife species. The increase in population could exert further pressure on the fauna and flora. These new facilities could also lead to an influx of forest exploiters into the area which is rich in gallery forests. There could be cut-and-run of some high-value forest species found there. Furthermore, haphazard building along these sections cannot be ruled out. In this respect, the 19 development of the area will have to be accompanied preferably by a corresponding forest assets protection effort. Involving the traditional authorities, sensitizing the populations to resource protection and strengthening control with adequate logistics are likely to deter anyone intending to engage in this illicit activity.

6.3.7 With the construction of the juxtaposed checkpoints at the borders, the commercial and social activities currently carried out at separate points will be concentrated in a single place. Socio-cultural and economic problems could arise, owing to competition between operators, shady dealings, internal jealousy, dissolution of customs and practices and moral values, language differences, etc. In addition, haphazard building induced by this program could cause the irrational exploitation of available resources, which could exacerbate poverty in the areas.

6.4 Mitigative measures

During the construction phase

6.4.1 During the construction phase, mitigating measures will comprise: (i) before project start-up and during works, organization of information and sensitization campaigns among the technical services, the population, traditional rulers, users, trade unions of hauliers and the local communities on the problems concerning: safety, risks, hygiene, health (prevention of STI/AIDS) and protection of natural resources, cultural sites and monuments; (ii) before lay-out and installation of work camps and work sites, contractors will submit, for prior approval by the control mission, a work site lay-out plan and an environmental impact mitigation plan, in accordance with the environmental directives and the legislation in force in the countries; (iii) the installation of work camps around major centres such that these localities can own the facilities after project completion (iv) recovery of oils, greases and lubricants in containers and their assignment to the local communities which often use such by-products in their day–to-day activities (treatment of wood against rodents, mixing with clay for house maintenance, treatment of lumber, etc.) (v) control of company vehicles and personnel (penalties); (VI) marking of high-value species by the forestry authorities and salvage logging prior to project works ; (vii) the creation of fine particle and hydrocarbons decanter/ separators downstream of the machines and vehicles maintenance and cleaning areas; (viii) periodic drainage and clearing-out of these works; (ix) obligation to carry out all vehicle fuelling, maintenance and oil change operations at the site envisaged for this purpose; (x) recovery and evacuation of used oils and waste by the contractor; (xi) provision of latrines and pits for waste in the work camps; (xii) restoration of borrow sites by drainage, levelling and re-vegetation, where necessary; (xiii) regular watering of the roadway, earthwork areas and quarry slopes near dwellings, in case of excessive dust emissions (dry season); (xiv) signposts, particularly at night, in the work areas; (xv) preliminary identification and replacement of installations (public networks, taps, standpipes, generators) likely to suffer damage; (xvi) inspection of restoration of roadside residents’ access and the property affected by works; periodic health check-up of personnel; (xvii) constant supply of condoms on the local markets and in company personnel premises; (xviii) incentive to foster recruitment of locals during works and subcontracting to local companies (sand extraction, minor works); and (xix) obligation to carry out clearing and tree-felling using labour-intensive methods; prior to the works, sensitization of the prime beneficiaries of the project who are roadside dwellers and other stakeholders, through information and sensitization meetings on the project components; (xx) putting in place traffic signs at population centres, deviations and danger zones and speed limits (80 Km/h in open country and 40 Km/h in population centres). 20

6.4.2 To avoid potential negative impacts, care was taken to analyze possibilities of preventing the road from leading in the long term to faster degradation of natural resources comprising the national parks of Bénoué and Waza in the of North and Far-North Provinces of Cameroon. In any case, the project concerns road development and not a new road, since the road already exists and has skirted all these resources for a very long time.

6.4.3 An environment clause will be included in the bidding documents (BD) of the works. Its main provisions will be designed to optimize protection of the environment and socio- economic activities: (i) local workforce recruitment mechanism; (ii) enforcement of labour and safety regulations for locals, users and project workers (protection equipment, gloves, helmets, dust masks, noise-proof helmets, extinguishers, etc.) (iii) site restoration and protection of natural resources (levelling and flattening on-site slopes, re-vegetation of the areas, planting of roadside trees, support to natural regeneration, sowing of local species and deferred grazing); (iv) the road right-of-way must be prepared following the same principles and the loss of species will be offset by the planting of roadside trees and the compensatory tree planting, under the supervision of relevant technical services. In addition, the entrances and exits of the cities and major villages will be decorated by planting suitable local trees species.

6.4.4 Fish, water resources and sensitive areas will be protected throughout the section such as to: avoid creating artificial obstacles to wildlife movements; carry out dynamiting under the supervision of mining and forestry staff, and sequential explosions so as to minimize the vibrations and shock waves; apply bush fire and poaching prevention measures and techniques; prohibit bush meat hunting and consumption; sensitize to and control firewood use; prohibit the transportation of bush meat by project vehicles; respect the customs and practices of the populations and human relations; install the asphalt mixing plants outside population centres in order to minimize nuisances caused by gas, noise and fume emissions.

6.4.5 To limit long-term impacts, the following is also envisaged: information and training: definition of forest reserves and other environmentally-sensitive areas (ESA) and related restriction through information boards at entries and along the road; limitation of the provisional right-of-way to the right-of-way of the present road and the built road and to defined quarry sites; prohibition, in particular, of additional deviations, felling, operations, traffic and creation of quarries outside these right-of-ways in the ESA; speed limits in the inhabited zones (signposts); creation of speed bumps at entries to localities, before and after schools and markets; placing of barriers between the schools and the road. All these measures will be described in detail in the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and will be inserted in the specifications of contractors for monitoring and implementation.

6.4.6 The project has envisaged public awareness campaigns among school children, roadside dwellers, village heads, local and governmental authorities, economic groupings, and transport sector operators. Throughout the entire project, four public awareness campaigns will be organized per year. These campaigns will use schools, the press, the radio and television as means of information on problems of health, STI/AIDS, water-borne diseases, environmental protection, land management, problems caused by bush fires, destruction of forests, good farming practices, soil conservation, road safety, safeguarding of customs and practices, cultural and moral values, good citizenship, early pregnancies, female genital mutilation, etc. Seminars will be organized by specialized NGOs recruited for this purpose. 21

During the operational phase

6.4.7 Impact mitigation measures during the operational phase will primarily concern the following aspects: periodic maintenance, implementation of mitigating measures, application of legal, safety measures and transport and transit facilitation actions. The maintenance program to be put in place by the ministries in charge will notably ensure the regular inspection and where necessary, the clearing out of all drainage works. The material and financial means necessary for these activities will be earmarked in the annual budget of the said ministries. To strengthen positive impacts, recruitment will give priority to local workforce, notably women and youth.

6.4.8 The putting in place of mechanisms for sensitization, information and controls (technical, road, traffic code, forestry, etc), should make it possible to cope with these potential impacts. Ultimately, the improvement of the road infrastructure will, in the operational phase, generate far more beneficial effects than the foreseeable negative impacts.

6.4.9 Regarding transport and transit facilitation on the corridor, the program will focus on protected transport (container transport, by tankers and transport in sealed trucks). To limit checks at departure points, at the borders and at arrival points, the following measures are envisaged: (i) installation a goods monitoring system; (ii) installation of a radio communication system ; (iii) building on the corridor at the border of the two countries of a juxtaposed checkpoint which will be equipped with a weighbridge/axle-load scales, scanner and computer equipment; (iv) facilitation of the use of a single customs notebook (TRIE) for a one-way trip on the corridor; (v) raising awareness on program activities and objectives. The commitment of the two States to limiting checks on the corridor as defined above and the establishment of regulations to that end constitute a condition for the program. The same shall apply to the adoption of the legal status of the corridor, which is under study at the Economic and Customs Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the setting up of a corridor management board.

6.4.10 An Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) has been drawn up and presents all the actions to be implemented to limit, mitigate or remove the identified potential negative impacts and defines the various responsibilities for the implementation and control of these measures during the execution and start-up phases. These actions concern mitigating measures, control and monitoring measures as well as attendant measures, necessary as regards improvement of the living environment of the populations, sensitization and capacity building. The measures specified in the ESMP will be included in the tender documents of the bidders for implementation and monitoring.

6.4.11 The costs of the environmental protection measures, ancillary works and expropriation and compensation under the program are as follows: (1) Cameroon: CFAF 3 156 798 757 (i) monitoring of the implementation of environmental measures included in the works monitoring cost; (ii) protection of natural resources, embellishment of village entries and exits, landscaping; reforestation of cleared areas or bared sites, compensatory tree planting, etc. CFAF 100 000 00; (iii) ancillary works and facilities to improve the living environment and conditions of populations CFAF 1 554 800 000; and (iv) sensitization to road safety and protection, STI/HIV AIDS, water-borne diseases and insalubrity, moral values, environmental protection, etc CFAF 22

120 000 000; (v) compensation for expropriation of property (dwellings, churches, graves, crops) which is financed by the Government CFAF 1 381 998 757; (2) CAR: CFAF 875 500 000 (i) monitoring of the implementation of environmental measures included in the works monitoring cost; (ii) protection of natural resources, embellishment of village entries and exits, landscaping; reforestation of cleared areas or bared sites, compensatory tree planting, etc. CFAF 55 000 000; (iii) ancillary works and facilities to improve the living environment and conditions of populations CFAF 518 000 000; and (iv) sensitization to roads safety and protection, STI/HIV AIDS, water-borne diseases and insalubrity, moral values, environmental protection, archaeological sites etc CFAF 90 000 000, etc. ; (v) compensation for expropriation of property (dwellings, churches, graves, crops) which is financed by the Government CFAF 212 500 000; (3) Chad: CFAF 804 250 000 (i) ) monitoring of the implementation of environmental measures included in the works monitoring cost; (ii) protection of natural resources, embellishment of village entries and exits, landscaping; reforestation of cleared areas or bared sites, compensatory tree planting, etc. CFAF 160 000 00; (iii) ancillary works and facilities to improve the living environment and conditions of the population CFAF 248 000 000; and (iv) sensitization to road safety and protection, STI/HIV AIDS, water-borne diseases and insalubrity, moral values, environmental protection, etc CFAF 65 000 000; (v) compensation for expropriation of property (dwellings, churches, graves, crops) which is financed by the Government CFAF 331 250 000 (vi) strengthening of the capacity of the environment unit CFAF 40 000 000. To that, should be added the costs concerning the restoration of quarries and borrow sites or their transformation into drinking troughs for wildlife and cattle, road signs, restoration of work camp and project sites, etc. These costs are included in the cost of works. Compensation of the affected populations by the three Governments will be one of the conditions precedent to first disbursement of the loan/grant. The total cost of environmental measures for all three countries is estimated at CFAF 4 835 548 757.

7. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MANAGEMENT

7.1.1 During the road construction and rehabilitation phase, the environmental risk will essentially concern: spillage of hydrocarbons, bituminous products, of explosive products and other substances used in road construction. Risks of accidents at work places as well as stream and river crossings could arise, and also cases of fires for which safety measures and training are envisaged with the relevant services, in particular, civil protection, gendarmerie, forest guards etc. These measures concern: sensitization and training of project site officials and ad hoc teams in rapid intervention techniques in the event of disasters, safety measures to follow in the danger or risky zones, establishment of contracts with the workers’ health services and health centres, installation and supply of pharmacies, sensitization of local populations with regard to prevention against health risks and road safety; organization of epidemiological surveys in order to assess project impacts on the environment and human health, the installation of communication and rapid evacuation equipment.

7.1.2 Other technical measures concern the provision of protected areas for truck servicing and for the storage of the polluting products in order to avoid any spillage likely to pollute the natural resources. On-site measures will be taken in order to ensure good retention around the fuel, oil and bitumen storage tanks, and also provide pits for the evacuation of oils, grease and others liquid pollutants from the maintenance workshops, vehicles and equipment cleaning facilities and cargo loading areas. Regarding explosives management, safety measures will be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Mining Code of Cameroon. 23

8. PROGRAM MONITORING

8.1.1 Under this project, program monitoring is aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of proposed mitigative and optimisation measures during the successive phases of the project, namely construction, rehabilitation and operation.

8.1.2 Environmental monitoring to be carried out is designed to check the effective implementation of: (i) the measures proposed in the environmental and social impact assessment, in particular mitigative measures; (ii) the conditions laid in the various laws and regulations; (iii) the commitments of project owners and contractors; (iv) the requirements of the other laws and regulations on hygiene, public health, management of the living environment of the populations, environmental protection, natural resources, sensitive or vulnerable areas.

8.1.3 The key objectively verifiable indicators which will be used to monitor the impacts will be: the regeneration rate of deforested areas; the success rate of sown species; the number of water analyses and water quality; the number of social and health facilities created and operational; the number of expropriated families compensated (including compensation time- frames and the adequacy of the compensation received compared to the value of the expropriated property); the prevalence rate of diseases related to dust and gas emissions, the number of cases of water- borne diseases or STI/AIDS and other infectious diseases recorded by health centres since the commencement of the project and their treatment; the number of cases of accidents, the number of reports of collision with wild animals, etc. All these concerns must be taken into account and appropriate measures will be to be included in the specifications of the contractors for their implementation.

8.1.4 The implementation of environmental measures will be monitored by the environmental expert of the control mission in collaboration with the Division in charge of the Environment of the MINTP of Cameroon and of Chad and the Directorate-General of the Environment of the Ministry for Water, Forestry, Wildlife and the Environment of the CAR. Its tasks will be to monitor the implementation of the ESMP, the implementation of specifically environmental works and the search for the solutions to any environmental problems. The biological and abiotic environment monitoring indicators, as well as the pollution indicators will be defined in detail by the environmentalist of the control mission. In addition, the ministries charged with the environment of Cameroon and Chad will carry out the control and monitoring of the implementation of the ESIA, the ESMP and RP.

9. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

9.1.1 The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) was conducted using a participatory methodological approach based, on the one hand, on field trips, exploration of background documents, digitalized topographic charts, and on the other hand, conversations with the various ministries, technical services, NGOs, private sector operators, socio-professional groupings, donors, the riparian population, the authorities and the local communities, village heads and opinion leaders. During each meeting organized, the project contents, in terms of economic, social, cultural, environmental stakes as well as mitigating and improvement measures were presented to the consulted groups. This process was initiated at the upstream stage of the 24 project at the level of the validation of the terms of reference of the environmental and social impact assessment by the groups concerned and/or affected. Thus, the opinions and the comments of the populations and the target groups have been incorporated in the ESMP.

9.1.2 During project implementation, all these partners will be consulted regularly. The ESIA has been made available to the public, by the Ministries in charge of the environment of the three countries, for feedback through the public press and during village meetings. In addition, this summary will also be published in the Public Information Centre (PIC) of the Bank.

10. COMPLEMENTARY INITIATIVES

10.1.1 To reduce the negative impacts and improve the positive impacts of this program, a series of complementary measures to improve the living environment and conditions of the riparian population have been included therein. These measures would include among others, the implementation of a resettlement plan and related works.

Expropriation, Compensation and Resettlement

10.1.2 The implementation of this program will entail the expropriation of houses, land and crops of the riparian population in certain villages. In conformity with Bank resettlement policies as regards involuntary population displacement and those of Cameroon, Chad and the CAR in that domain, three resettlement plans (RP), one for each country have been elaborated. These RP had the approval of the Governments and the populations concerned. In addition, measures taken to minimize the correction of the road alignment made it possible to reduce to the maximum the crossing of population centres and displacement of persons and expropriations, while ensuring 2 optimum safety. In each country, a Consultant initiated an evaluation of the present value per m of the buildings and lands affected by the program. That enabled calculation of the costs of rebuilding new houses or other buildings in the areas demarcated for the road project. Another evaluation was made of the present cost of building other commercial buildings, shops, factories, etc. touched by the program

10.1.3 In Cameroon, it is envisaged that 1594 dwellings will be expropriated along the Garoua Boulai-Kousseri section, the majority of them of semi-permanent materials, belonging to 1434 owners (1141 families); 30 graves; 216 399 ha of land and food crops; 1494 trees; 16 straw sheds; 2 schools; 12 wells; 15 religious facilities; 6 other buildings. It should be noted that, only 160 (a hundred and sixty) people will be moved in spite of the numerous names featuring on the list, as most of the houses are secondary dwellings, occupied only periodically in the year for specific purposes (farming period). The costs of these compensations are as follows: dwellings, buildings and other accessories, CFAF 626 029 205; crops, CFAF 474 679 800; graves, CFAF 4 890 000, that is a total from approximately CFAF 1 105 599 005. By adding 25% for contingencies (price contingency, identification of other properties to be expropriated during the project, resettlement plan monitoring, guidance for disadvantaged groups, etc the cost of the expropriation and compensation plan is around CFAF 1 381 998 757. 25

10.1.4 In CAR, on the Bouar-Garoua Boulaï section, expropriation will concern: 176 dwellings the majority of them of semi-permanent materials, belonging to 126 families; 35 graves; 11 ha of food/cash crops; 542 trees; 41sheds. The majority of these dwellings are of non- permanent or semi-permanent materials (mud bricks and straw huts, sheets). Furthermore, during works, the following facilities will be affected: 2 playgrounds; 2 markets; 2 religious facilities; 1 school; and 2 boreholes. The costs of these compensations are as follows: dwellings, buildings and other accessories, CFAF 113 500 000; crops, CFAF 27 500 000; graves, CFAF 7 000 000; other related costs, CFAF 22 000 000, that is a total of approximately CFAF 148 000 000. By adding 25% for contingencies (price contingency, identification of other properties to be expropriated during the project, resettlement plan monitoring, guidance of disadvantaged groups, etc the cost of the expropriation and compensation plan is around CFAF 212 500 000.

10.1.5 In Chad on the Kousseri-Ndjaména section, expropriation will concern: 15 dwellings the majority of them of semi-permanent materials, belonging to 15 families; 3 075 ha of land; 14 trees; 14 straw sheds. The majority of these dwellings are in non- permanent or semi-permanent materials (mud bricks and straw huts, sheets). The costs of these compensations are as follows: dwellings, buildings and other accessories, CFAF 205 000 000; land/crops, CFAF 60 000 000; that is a total of approximately CFAF 265 000 000. By adding 25% for contingencies (price contingency, identification of other properties to be expropriated during the project, resettlement plan monitoring, guidance of disadvantaged groups, etc the cost of the expropriation and compensation plan is around CFAF 331 250 000.

10.1.6 In the context of Cameroon, Chad and the CAR, this displacement consists in shifting back less than 50 metres from the road right-of-way. As the inhabitants are attached to their original plots of land, they are unwilling to move. It is not therefore a question of mass displacement of several families from one point to another, but rather of individual, light and localised displacements of each family concerned. The owners (in case of allotments) of the parcels affected by the project were already informed and are compensated according to the procedures. The affected communities massively participated in drawing up the expropriation and resettlement plan and their concerns were taken into account. The option to reduce to the bare minimum involuntary displacement of the populations was taken into account, in order to reduce the demolition of private property. It should be noted that any person moved, with or without property, will receive compensation corresponding to the value of any property of which he was dispossessed. If such property is a house for example, compensation will be a house of a value at least equivalent to that from which he/she was moved and an amount enabling him/her to build another. In case of loss of part of one’s property or materials following displacement, the moved person will receive financial compensation at least equal to that lost.

10.1.7 The affected populations were informed of the nature and utility of the project as well as principles of compensation and resettlement. Government services came to identify the houses to be demolished, the crops to be destroyed, and to evaluate the amount of the compensations. Information and sensitization were carried out on an individual basis, since, for each village, the number of households affected is relatively low. 26

10.1.8 The issue of compensation for the dwellings, land, crops and all the other forms of compensation was tackled during the consultative phase. The following compensation conditions were proposed: (i) compensation in cash for any loss of land; (ii) compensations in cash for buildings and walls; (iii) compensation in cash for destruction of crops; (iv) grant affected persons sufficient time to harvest crops from their fields and/or for resettlement after the compensation operations.

10.1.9 The customs and practices will be respected during work and more particularly during exhumation and burial. Approximately 35 (thirty-five) graves were identified at the time of the investigations. In addition to sensitizing roadside populations on STI and AIDS, other topics will be also approached in particular: road safety, bush fire use, the fight against female genital mutilation, cultural values and environmental protection.

Ancillary works and measures

10.1.10 Ancillary works concern the rehabilitation/construction of socio-economic infrastructure needed by the roadside populations during discussions with them as part of the participatory approach. Accordingly, schools located less than 100 m from the road will be fenced and their infrastructure improved where necessary with supply of benches and construction of latrines. Similarly, health facilities located near the road will be improved and others created with the assistance of the populations.

10.1.11 In Cameroon, these activities will entail: (i) under the ADF lot: (A) provision of a 30-km track; (b) rehabilitation of 12 classrooms equipped with benches, a head teacher’s office, fences, latrines and boreholes at the Meiganga primary school; (c) rebuilding of the Méiganga road terminal including 2 market sheds; (d) boreholes in the Meiganga technical school, the government secondary schools in Lokoti, Meidougou and Meiganga; and (e) creation of 3 cattle rest parks and 30 farm produce drying yards; and (f) supply of 16 lots of small equipment for agricultural produce processing (one lot = 1cassava mill and 4 hand carts); and (ii) under IDA and EU lots, school fences and provision of farm produce drying yards. These actions will come to back up those envisaged by the national Program for Participation in Development (PNDP), which started activities in 2004 and currently covers 5 of the 10 provinces of Cameroon of which the North and Adamaoua Provinces.

10.1.12 In the CAR, (i) it will concern: (i) under the ADF lot: (A) improvement of 75 km tracks i.e. Déba-Bira Boyéré (30 km) and N°503 Béloko-Besson (45 km); (b) rehabilitation of 9 classrooms equipped with benches, a head teacher’s office, fences, latrines and boreholes in the primary schools of Béloko, Zoukounou and Gbéba; (c) the construction of (1) market shed at Béloko (20x15 m²); (d) provision of 3 boreholes in Béloko, Zoukounou and Gbéba; (e) provision of 20 farm produce drying yards; and (f) supply of 10 lots of small equipment for agricultural produce processing (one lot = 1cassava mill and 4 hand carts); and (ii) under the IDA and EU lots, school fences and the provision of farm produce drying yards.

10.1.13 In Chad, the interventions will concern: (i) fencing and rehabilitation of 12 classrooms equipped with benches, two head teacher’s offices, fences, latrines and boreholes at the Walia primary school; (ii) a market shed (20x15 m²) at Walia; and (iii) a cattle rest park (fenced) at the customs in Nguéli to improve transport conditions of cattle on the hoof, which are among Chad’s leading exports to Cameroon and Nigeria.

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11. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

11.1.1 The environmental assessment, which was conducted on all the corridors, shows that the implementation of the project will definitely have negative impacts on the natural, human and socio-cultural environment. However, these potential negative impacts will not have major irreversible ecological effects on the project area and its environs. In fact, these potential negative impacts could be circumscribed technically and financially within reasonable limits or even be offset by appropriate corrective measures, through the implementation of the ESMP. This summary of the potential impacts and mitigating measures of the program is submitted to the Board of Directors of the Bank for information.