At New Year wishes ceremony: Minister outlines 2026 course for safer roads, transport network upgrade.

The minister was speaking in Yaounde on January 26. This was during a New Year wishes ceremony.

In his address, the minister commended the performance of the sector in 2025 while stressing that the results achieved should serve as a foundation for intensified public action in the year ahead.

“This appreciable assessment must not be considered as an end in itself, but rather as a basis for the future,” the minister said, calling for sustained mobilisation to position transport as a catalyst for economic and social development.

According to the minister, the transport sector accounts for more than 95 per cent of the country’s external trade and said priorities for 2026 would focus on safety, efficiency and performance across all subsectors, in line with national development objectives.

Toll of road accidents

A major focus of the minister’s address was road safety, which he described as a national concern with heavy human and economic consequences. 

He revealed that road accidents cost the country an estimated 800 billion FCFA each year and remain the leading cause of death among young people under the age of 25. 

“Despite the steady decline in road accidents, each life lost on our roads is one life too many,” the minister said.

He further stressed the need for innovative and coordinated solutions to reverse the trend. The minister instructed the intensification of road safety and prevention campaigns, alongside the increased digitalisation of control operations. 

He mentioned integration of intelligent systems for detecting traffic violations and the use of video-based enforcement to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of checks.

The minister also prescribed the acceleration of reforms to the medical fitness examination for drivers, noting that future assessments would incorporate ophthalmological, cardiological, neurological and, where necessary, psychiatric tests. He also called for stronger support to decentralised local authorities in the execution of transferred road safety responsibilities.

Air, rail, maritime infrastructure priorities

Beyond road transport, the minister outlined a series of infrastructure and reform commitments for other subsectors. 

In air transport, he said efforts to modernise airport infrastructure and certify platforms would be intensified, noting that certification attracts more airlines and helps reduce air transport costs.

He urged continued work towards the certification of Douala International Airport to consolidate its role as a sub-regional hub, while also prioritising the rehabilitation of Garoua airport’s runway and the maturation of a project for a world-class airport in the coastal zone, in line with the National Development Strategy 2020-2030.

On the national airline, he reaffirmed that the restructuring of CAMAIR-Co remains under the personal supervision of the Head of State. “The national carrier is gradually regaining stability,” Ngallè Bibéhè said.

He urged management to strengthen regional routes, acquire new aircraft and closely monitor the performance contract with the State.

In the railway subsector, the minister announced that 2026 would mark a favourable turning point with the effective launch of the execution phase of the Mbalam-Kribi railway line. 

He also called for continued engagement with private partners on new lines, including Edéa-Kribi-Campo and Ngaoundéré-N’Djamena, alongside the renewal of existing tracks and the acquisition of passenger rolling stock.

Maritime and port infrastructure also featured, with the minister reiterating the strategic importance of ports in handling over 95 per cent of Cameroon’s foreign trade. 

He called for sustained efforts to extend the Port of Kribi, develop an integrated industrial zone of about 2,000 hectares, and modernise Douala-Bonabéri port in compliance with international safety standards. 

Presentation of 2025 performance

Speaking earlier, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport, His Majesty Mveimani Sombo Amba, presented the sector’s 2025 performance, describing the year as one of resilience amid a difficult global environment. 

He noted that Cameroon’s economy recorded estimated growth of about 4 per cent, supported in part by the transport sector.

He highlighted gains from reforms in road transport administration, which generated FCFA 7.135 billion in secured revenue from 459,299 transport titles, alongside improved compliance, enforcement and training outcomes. 

Progress was also reported in air, rail, maritime and meteorological services, as well as in governance, planning and anti-corruption measures.

The ceremony was marked by cultural and artistic performances. It concluded with the decoration of the Divisional Delegate of Ngoketunjia, Temgoua Jean William with the Grand Cordon of Cameroonian Merit. 

This was followed by greetings exchanged between the minister, the minister delegate and collaborators, partner institutions and stakeholders.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3687 of Wednesday January 28, 2026