Ecobank is positioning itself to play a strategic role in the financing and execution of road maintenance and major infrastructure projects in Cameroon through a proposed partnership with the country’s Road Fund.
The initiative was discussed on January 20 in Yaoundé during a meeting between Sylvestre Ouattara, head of the CEMAC cluster at Ecobank Cameroon, and Aubin Esaïe Moussa, administrator of the Road Fund. The talks focused on identifying concrete areas of cooperation that would strengthen the Fund’s capacity to mobilise resources and finance large-scale road projects.
According to a statement from the Road Fund, Ecobank intends to leverage its experience supporting road maintenance funds in other African markets, notably Côte d’Ivoire, where similar financing structures have been used to stabilise funding flows and improve project execution. In Cameroon, the bank aims to support both the collection and mobilisation of revenues earmarked for road maintenance and the structuring of financing solutions for major construction and rehabilitation works.
Under the proposed partnership, Ecobank would operate on two main fronts. The first is improving mechanisms for collecting and mobilising resources, a long-standing challenge for road infrastructure funding in Cameroon. The second is designing and arranging financing tailored to capital-intensive projects, particularly those requiring long-term funding and complex financial structuring.
The Road Fund noted that Ecobank’s approach goes beyond traditional banking support, with an emphasis on reinforcing revenue streams while also facilitating access to financing suited to large infrastructure investments. This dual focus is seen as critical at a time when Cameroon faces growing pressure to maintain and upgrade its road network amid rising traffic, urban expansion, and regional trade demands.
As a public entity responsible for financing road maintenance and certain infrastructure works, the Road Fund has increasingly sought partnerships with financial institutions to bridge funding gaps and improve efficiency. Ecobank’s interest signals stronger private-sector engagement in Cameroon’s infrastructure agenda, aligning with broader regional efforts to crowd in commercial financing for public works.
If formalised, the partnership could mark a shift in how road projects in Cameroon are financed, combining public-sector mandates with private-sector financial expertise to accelerate delivery and improve the sustainability of the country’s road infrastructure.
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