Cameroon Eyes 20-Year IsDB Financing for CFA139.3 Billion Douala-Bafoussam Road Upgrade

Cameroon could receive CFA139.3 billion in 20-year financing from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to rehabilitate the Douala-Bafoussam road, with the lender set to cover more than 92% of the project’s total cost.

According to IsDB’s September 2026 investor presentation, the bank plans to provide €212.35 million, equivalent to CFA139.3 billion, with a 20-year maturity that includes a five-year period described as a “gestation period.”

The bank does not explain how that period would apply to the repayment schedule. It also does not disclose the interest rate or margin, fees, potential guarantees, amortization profile or disbursement schedule. Without those details, the total cost of the financing and the annual burden it could place on Cameroon’s state budget cannot yet be determined.

IsDB’s planned contribution represents 92.35% of the project’s estimated €229.93 million, or CFA150.82 billion, cost. Cameroon is expected to provide the remaining €17.58 million, or about CFA11.53 billion. A communication attributed to the Public Works Ministry in March 2025 had rounded the financing shares to 92% for IsDB and 8% for the Cameroonian government.

Agreement Had Yet to Be Signed in Early September

IsDB’s board approved the financing on May 19, 2025, during its 360th meeting in Algiers. The approval authorized the operation but did not make the funds immediately available.

As of Sept. 3, 2026, the financing agreement had yet to be signed. According to information from Défis Actuels, attributed to the Public Works Ministry and reported by Actu Cameroun, the government was still waiting for a decree authorizing the minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development to sign the agreement with IsDB.

The Public Works Ministry had also reportedly requested a one-year extension of the period granted to Cameroon to sign the financing agreement.

Procurement procedures nevertheless began before the signing. On July 30, 2025, IsDB authorized advance procurement for construction companies, the project supervision assignment and the audit firm. By early September 2026, reports from those procedures had been submitted to the bank for approval, according to the same source.

There is also a discrepancy over the financing approval date. IsDB’s September 2026 presentation lists Dec. 7, 2025, while the bank’s official statement says its board approved the financing on May 19, 2025.

IsDB does not indicate whether Dec. 7 corresponds to another stage in the approval process or is simply an error. For now, May 19, 2025, remains the date officially announced by its board.

218.9 Km of Main Road and 108 Km of Local Roads

The project covers the rehabilitation of 218.9 kilometers of road between Douala and Bafoussam. A prequalification notice published on Nov. 18, 2025, divides the work into three lots: the 70-kilometer Bekoko-Penja section, the 77.7-kilometer Penja-Nkam Bridge section and the 71.2-kilometer Nkam Bridge-Bandjoun section.

IsDB’s September 2026 presentation also includes 108 kilometers of local or rural roads. A March 2025 communication from the Public Works Ministry had instead cited 110 kilometers of unpaved roads.

Available sources do not establish whether the two-kilometer difference reflects a change in the project or simply rounding. The project also calls for the construction or rehabilitation of schools, health centers, markets, agricultural facilities and water supply infrastructure. IsDB does not specify how many facilities are planned, where they would be located or how much of the project budget would be allocated to them.

Construction is expected to take 48 months on both the Bekoko-Penja and Penja-Nkam Bridge sections and 42 months on the Nkam Bridge-Bandjoun section. Those construction periods are separate from the financing’s 20-year maturity. The start of the construction timetable will depend on contract awards and the issuance of orders to proceed.

Baudouin Enama