Biya regime cancels another local road contract less than a year after award ⁰

Cameroon’s Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, has terminated the contract awarded to the Cameroonian consortium Precocam/ETS Sentinelle for the paving of the 24-km Pont de la Mape-Carrefour Mwoumban road. The decision, signed on June 3 and made public on June 10, 2024, cited the consortium’s failure to make adequate progress in the construction, which is part of the larger Banyo-Mayo Darle-Nyamboya road project (147 km) on National Road 6 in the Adamaoua region.

The CFA4.9 bn contract awarded following an emergency national tender in 2022 was terminated due to the consortium’s insufficient progress on the project. At the time of termination, the overall progress was estimated at 19.5%, according to the Ministry of Public Works.

“The contracting authority terminated the contract with Precocam/ETS Sentinelle after several warnings and reminders under existing regulations. A provision of 4,990,673,318 CFA francs VAT included had been allocated in the public investment budget to cover the costs related to the paving of this section,” explained the Ministry’s communication department.

Following the termination, Precocam/ETS Sentinelle will be ineligible to bid for any new public contracts in Cameroon for two years. Additionally, performance and advance payment guarantees provided by the consortium will be mobilized as per regulations, the Ministry of Public Works stated.

This marks another contract revoked from a Cameroonian company within less than a year. Before Precocam/ETS Sentinelle, companies such as Bofas, Super Confort, and the consortium Wambo and Gege Business Sarl have also lost road construction contracts in the country since late 2023.

Source: Business in Cameroon