In 2020, amidst the global health crisis, the leaders of the six member countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) launched a fundraising round in Paris for eleven projects aimed at interconnecting their capitals. The objective was to develop significant infrastructure. Three years after the initiation of this policy, they took stock of the progress on Monday, September 25th, in Brazzaville.
The most recent of these eleven projects, which commenced construction in May of this year, involves the creation of the thirteenth corridor, stretching from the Sangha region in northern Congo to the Central African border.
“80% of these projects have indeed started. This is not just theory. The figures are there. The interconnection among four countries in the sub-region is a reality and it is working,” asserted Professor Michel-Cyr Djiena Wembou, the Secretary-General of the CEMAC Economic and Financial Program (PREF-CEMAC).
This initiative focuses on interconnecting Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. However, some of these projects experienced delays due to recent events.
“Covid-19 came along in the meantime, as did the war in Ukraine. This has led to expenditures that were not originally anticipated,” explained Professor Michel-Cyr Djiena Wembou.
In November, CEMAC officials are set to host a second fundraising round dedicated to financing projects that promote integration within the sub-region, according to Jean-Baptiste Ondaye, the Congolese Minister of Finance and President of the Steering Committee of PREF-CEMAC.