RESTRICTED A vA 2 A %/-I A VoLJ. 4IL Ihis Public Disclosure Authorized report was prepared for use within the Baiik and its affiliated organizations. They do not accept responsibility for its ac:urac) or completeness. The report may not be published nor may it be quoted as representing their views. INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTI:UCTION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMIIENT ASSOCIATION Public Disclosure Authorized CURTRENT ECONOMIC POS;ITITlON AND PROSPECTS REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON (in five volumes) VOLUM]E IV Public Disclosure Authorized D-ecem..,ber ;21, 1Q970 WJ-s1tA 1A7 IVm Public Disclosure Authorized We stern Africa Department CURRENCY DOQUIVAALENTS Currency Unit: CFA Franc (CFAF) Before August 11. 1969: US$ 1.00 = CFAF'246.85 CFAF 1.000 = US$ L.05 After Aueust 11. 1969: US$ 1.00 = CFAF 277.71 GFAF 1;000 = Tl1.S=_.6o WEIGHT'S AND MEAASURES 1 Metric Ton (t) 2,205 lbs. 1 ~~~F;logr(b:)22ls 1 Kilomneter (km) = o.62 mile I Meter (r,) - ).°8 fee COPI.OSIT1ON t)F THE hI SION This report is based on the findings of a mission wdhich visite(d Cameroon in March and April of 1970. The mission was composed of the following memtiers: Cornelis J. Jansen ChLef of Mission Fredy R.G. Holin Economist Antoine Marot Economist Guenther Weinschenck Agricultural Economist (Consultant) Constant de Troyer Agronomist - Permanent Mission in West Africa J.L. Gilles Lessard Fo:-estry Economist (Consultant) Christopher Lethbridge Specialist - Development Finance Companies Department Hans 0. Schulte Transportation Economist - Permanent Mission in West Africa. The report consists of the i'ollowing volumes: I - Main Report. II - Agriculturo. III - Forestry. IV - nnsp,o,vrt. V - Manufacturing Industry and Investment Finance. This ollumre was preparer! by Harns 0. Schulte TABLE OF COINIENTS VOLU11E IV TERANSPORT Page No. SIvUTAR'Y AND CONCLUSIONS - I. INTRODUCT ION 1 1) The transport infrastructure in Reneral 1 2) Cameroon as a transit country 2 3) Transport planningr and administration 2 II. THE HIGHWAY SECTOR. 1) Adninistration 5 2) The Highwcay Network 3) Hi!ghwav construction and mnintenance 6 4) Highway traffic; vehicle fleet 8 5) i!7rf.ay.- epYnPnritures. anrl roadrle charges 9 6) Road transport 10~ 7) Road investments under the second and thi+1v Th 1rnrlnvmen+ Plansc TTT P.AT1TRpnnM1 TAATT.TdTAYq' 17 1)Genrieral 1 2) Infrastructure and rolling stock 18 ,)T,fi 19 4) Tariffs 20 5) VF4^.a-cic' --- o,-mance oP ReV-rc., 21- 6) Investments under 2nd. an&c3rd Develop- mIenLt Plans 23 TT M7 Am TT1 T1'rTT1lTh IT A TrTr A mr^IIT 4 i v . rur I A\JJ r-i vn ±"Av ±LVA IL kill ±) Ex:isting ±ir±rastrucuur2 2 2) Ad3ninistration 27 3) Traffic and relative impcrtance of 27 the Cameroon ports 4) Financial performnmce of the port administration 29 5) Tne problems of the port of Douala and possible short-term and long-term solutions 30 Page No. IT rfTITTT. AI" T T.lT TrY 2) Administration 34 3)\ vs-Xn 3) lritUc. ID C'UA n 0 L'rflA rrTrrC,T AT AnTIMT'n`TV U±±1±J 24AJALj rrid.u±A SUMMJ7OY A_ND CONCLUSIONS (i) Cameroon's heavy reliance on international trade - exports and imports each represent somewhat over 20 percent of gross domestic product - and the large distances between the various centers of economic activity within the country acco-unt for the vital importance of an adequate transport system for the ec:orcmy. The governmment is awiare of this fact and has rightlv given priority in public investment to improvement of the transport infrastructure. (ii) Reads and railways are the main transport modes. There are about 21 - cln km Of tyunk nrd main rnsrEg of which- hmTn..ver_ onlv about 1,270 km are paved. The railway system, presently consisting of about Mn km of rnilwnay rniout mainlyr serves -r.-rh_.qni-t.h t.rnn-n-rt. connection. It is being extended by another 335 km. Inland river transport is uinimportant. Air trnsport i.S a useful com..plement to transport by road and rail. The transport system is centered on Douala, the country's economic capital an,d ma,irJ port. Vi;; T4Lfl,41- awrnnrmra+c -; 1 1 ,-P +hk, c,...enn+nr nP +h, +rnrn on+ \ .-L_ .LF.4J±-AX± V I~J _ - --.~ --- ~ systems are needed, two major problems carL be identified: (1) Cameroon's port capacity is becoming increasingly inuiLcL1ientU Io iandULe La=h co.tUJ uis &LJo-ini international trade. The improvement of port faciltles has, e,therefore,to be given highest priority among all transport projects during the next five years. (2) Tne forest area of South-East Cameroon contains huge and rich timber resources. Logging concess- ions have been issued recently but actual timber exploitation on a large scale cannot start before adequate transport links to connect the region to the coast have been created. Construction of such links is urgent if Cameroon is not to further forego important benefits in the form of additional national income and forelgn exchange earnings that would result from large-scaJe timber production in the area. (iv) The mission's main conclusions writh respect to the various modes of transport can be summarized as follows: 1. Highways: (a) The improvement of the standard of large parts of Cameroon's trunk road system is an urgent necessity. A list of well-justified road projects has been identified. (o) Current exiorts to irnprcve [lgnway uiainuenariuce sho-uid w, continued in view of the overall importance of road transport and rapidly growing tranLspoIt volumes. (c) The proposed reorganization of road transport in East Cameroon should not lead to uneconomic regimentation of the private road transport Industry by the Government. 2. Railways: (a) Improvement of the existing: railway line between Douala and Yaounde in order to increase its capacity and efficiency is required. Coristruction of new lines should only be considered after thorough technical, economic, and financial studlies. 3. Ports: An increase in port capacityr is an urgent priority and a better organization of port operations is required. Particularly, soLutions to improve timber handling and thus to enhance Cameroon' s timber export capacity have to be j'ound. (v) Preinvestment studies to prepare for the projects mentioned above are either urtder way or will be car-'ied out in the near future. Assurances for the implementation of the inission's operational recommeendations have been or are being! ob;ained from the Government under loan agreements on recent Bank highwJay, railway and port projects in Caneroor. As tc, the problem of timnber transnort from the South- East, the need for further preinvestment ,tudies will have to be decided in the ligh-t of theDiptdip ionn the BaRnk will have to conduct with thG Government on the proposed construction of a new railway line from.'aoinde to YokadounmA in Sonu-t-Ehst Gameroon. I. IIITMRODUC TICV' 1) The transport infrastructure in genera]. 1.01 The transport system of Cameroon has to respond to three main reqrer.ents: =to connec-l-t he 0econoML,c ana po;)',ju'aticn1- ce.nters o-f' th1e country among themselves; - to provide access to the sea for the export products of b.L1> VaLr.LoLUs reg.fLVIi ofJ With _oUIU.[-ty WUIU IA asUre -the supply of these regions iwith imiports of raw materials, capita-l andu coniwis guu der __ n Wand._ _J., _ _ to serve as a 'ransit country :'or land-locked Chad, and, to a lesser extent, the CentraL African Republic. 1.02 As for trensport requirements in;,ide Cameroon, five main poles of economic activity and potential can be distinguished: tne coastal region with the ports of Douala and Til.co-V:Lctoria, i,h3ro most of the country's industrial activity is concentrated; the densely populated, rich agricuLtural region around the cities of Nkongsamba and Bafoussam (Bamileke country); the region aroindctaounde, the capital of Cameroon; the North, which is also densely populated an.d has considerable agri- cultural potential; and finally the va;st tropical forest area of South- East Cameroon, which is only sparsely populated at present but which contains huge timber resources an.d may expzrience considerable develop- ment once large scale timber exploitat:ion 'vegins. 1.03 A large part of the transport infrastructure required to serve these regions exists or is being constructed or improved (see map 1). The backbone of the Cameroonian transport system is the Transcameroon route running from Douala through Yaounde to the Chadian border in the northern tip of the country. It consists of a railway up to Belabo (600 kl from Douala) wihich is being extended and wzill reach Ngaoundere by 197h. From there on, transport to the NIorth will be by :road, and the improvement of the various sections of this road link, generally to a paved standard, is at different stages of advancement. 1.0h Another main transport axis runs from the coastal area to Nkongsamba and Bafoussam, consisting of a railway line from Douala up to Nkongsamba (180 1,m) and a parallel paved road which continues to Bafoussam. From thereon, an earth road connects with the Transcameroon route at Ngaoundere. Douala and the Tiko-Victoria region are linked bv a naved road one section of which has teen. constructed only recently; the others, which were constructed 10-15 years ago, will be substantiall;y imnroved within the next years. 1-.05 A trrnisnortation gap still exists in.the South East except for the region closest to the coast between Douala-Yaounde-Samgmelima- - 2 - Kribi. While there are a few low,-standard earth roads penetrating further into the area, these are comnletelv inadecuate to permit large scale exploitation, of its timber resources for wiThich concessions have been issued recently.