The African Development Bank (AfDB) has lent Cameroon €310m for a 156km-long stretch of road in the country’s east.

The funding will finance the first phase of AfDB’s “Programme for the Opening-up and Connectivity of Cross-Border Economic Basins in the Eastern Region”, enabling the development and paving of the Ngoura II to Yokadouma road on a longer route running south to the Republic of the Congo.

The goal is to boost connection between the two countries to improve socioeconomic inclusion and private-sector investment. It will create 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.

Cameroon’s eastern region is the country’s largest, with a 6.25% paved surface rate and road density of 0.7km per 1,000 inhabitants.

The AfDB says more all-year roads will cut transport costs and improve sustainability and economic conditions.

Léandre Bassolé, the AfDB’s director general in Central Africa, said: “By improving the connectivity of the eastern region and its integration with border corridors, we are helping to unlock productive potential and strengthen regional integration in Central Africa.”