Far from simple protocol exchanges, this meeting acted as a particle accelerator for the country’s portfolio of multimodal projects. Between securing road corridors and the planned renaissance of the rail network, Washington and Yaoundé have synchronized their watches to make the 2026 fiscal year the pivot of an unprecedented infrastructural metamorphosis, where transport performance is no longer an option but the essential fuel for a national economy in full mutation.

At the heart of this synergy, the Regional Project for the Improvement of the Performance of the Douala–N’Djamena Rail/Road Corridor (PCDN) is crystallizing all attention. Having entered into force in June 2024, this program is now moving into its operational maturity phase with the signing of the first facilitation contracts and the publication of notices for expressions of interest. For the railway component, the stakes for 2026 are significant: it involves launching the heavy rehabilitation of several segments of the existing track while streamlining transit operations on this vital axis. While both parties welcomed the quality of the progress made, the World Bank nonetheless insisted on the urgency of finalizing technical studies and pending procurement procedures, reiterating its full readiness to remove administrative bottlenecks to avoid any schedule slippage.

The partnership does not stop at the rails; it extends with renewed vigor to the asphalt through the reinforcement of road safety. By relying on the mechanisms of the PDST and PACRI, the Bretton Woods institution and the Ministry of Transport intend to intensify the fight against road insecurity, a true plague for the competitiveness of regional transport. Closing this audience in the presence of the top management of Camrail and sectoral technical directorates, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibehè instructed absolute rigor in the management of ongoing projects. This momentum given at the start of 2026 confirms that Cameroon, supported by its strategic partner, is ready to meet the challenge of a resilient infrastructure capable of supporting the growth ambitions of a Central Africa in full integration.

CK