PM in Bamenda Sells 35km Road as Biya’s Election Card

The event began early Wednesday in Matazem, where the PM inspected an honor guard before cutting the ribbon on the 35km road linking the West Region to Bamenda. The road, plagued for years by delays, insecurity, and inflated costs, is touted by the government as a major step toward easing transport challenges and fostering regional integration.

In his speech, the Prime Minister said the new infrastructure will “boost trade, reduce costs for goods, and improve access to markets for farmers and families in the Northwest.” He also inaugurated the Mile 4 bridge, visited C2D-funded projects, and laid the foundation stone for a new administrative block at the Mile 4 market.

Government-friendly media have described the commissioning as a “significant step” toward both economic recovery and peace in the conflict-ridden Northwest.

But the visit comes under the shadow of a separatist-imposed lockdown, now in its second week, which has already claimed lives. A young man was reported shot dead in Bamenda for defying the restrictions just hours before the Prime Minister’s convoy rolled in.

Political Analysis

While Yaoundé presents the project as a triumph, critics argue it is little more than electioneering dressed up as development. The CPDM regime has a long history of rushing taxpayer-funded projects to completion only when elections loom, parading them as personal “gifts” from President Biya.

Analysts question the timing: why should 35 kilometers of tarred road — a basic necessity for any functioning government — warrant such pomp and a full delegation from Yaoundé? To many, it looks like another shallow election-season stunt, designed to shore up support for a 93-year-old president who has not been seen in public for months.

For the people of Bamenda, whose lives remain strangled by insecurity, poverty, and state neglect, the ceremony offered little hope. The ribbon-cutting cannot mask the reality that development projects in Cameroon are routinely weaponized as propaganda while citizens continue to suffer.

As elections approach, expect more inaugurations, hurried projects, and staged ceremonies — all designed not to serve the people, but to secure one more mandate for a regime that has overstayed its welcome.