On April 27, 2025, Chad and Cameroon officially commissioned a new 600-meter cross-border bridge linking the cities of Bongor (Chad) and Yagoua (Cameroon), in a landmark infrastructure development aimed at strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing trade, and deepening economic integration in Central Africa. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Chadian Prime Minister Allah-Maye Halina and Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, who highlighted the strategic importance of the bridge in facilitating the movement of goods and people, reducing transport costs, and reinforcing diplomatic ties between the two nations.
The bridge, which cost over 90 billion CFA francs (approximately $150 million USD), was jointly funded by the governments of Chad and Cameroon, with substantial support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Union, and other international development partners.
Designed to ease cross-border congestion and bolster economic activity in the region, the Bongor-Yagoua bridge is expected to play a key role in improving access to markets, promoting intra-African trade, and enhancing security collaboration in an area historically affected by instability and limited infrastructure. The project also includes the construction of connecting roads, customs facilities, and logistics infrastructure on both sides of the border, forming part of a broader regional strategy to implement the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) transport corridor and contribute to the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Officials from both countries hailed the project as a model of successful regional integration, reaffirming their commitment to continued infrastructure investments to support sustainable development and economic resilience in the face of regional challenges.
