Rehabilitating Airports : Strong Development Signal

More so because it came as a continuation of work linked to promises made by the country ahead of the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) which Cameroon hosted in January-February 2022. With the competition qualified as one of the most attractive in recent times, many might have thought that government will rest on its laurels as if to say well done.
But, that would have meant ignoring the engagement taken by the Head of State in December 2018 that even with the rescheduling of the African football jamboree in Cameroon from 2019 to 2021, worksites earmarked for AFCON should progress to their logical end. In other words, the hosting of AFCON simply gave an opportunity to offer to African youth, in general and Cameroonians, in particular, quality facilities.      
With the AFCON in Cameroon finally organised from 6 January to 9 February, 2022, it became imperative for the leftover work to continue. That is the spirit of the press statement issued on 30 August, 2022 by the Minister of Transport. It reminded officials of the Cameron Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) of instructions by the President of the Republic to ensure the completion in record time the modernisation of airport facilities in the towns of Bertoua, Kribi and Tiko as envisaged before the AFCON. The aim, according to the statement, is also to render the said towns modern and to provide the possibility for all regions of the country to have air transport facilities.     
While the Tiko Airport is today qualified as a shadow of itself, Bertoua and Kribi are not any better. Now that the Kribi Deep Seaport is already operational, the East Region that is reputed for its rich mineral resources and timber exploitation will certainly be a future business hub. Travelling there for business or touristic reasons could gain in intensity over the years and people will as such require various access possibilities. It is same with Kribi that has already been a tourist destination in the country with its attractive seaside breeze and more. Tiko Airport which carries a historical significance to the population of the South West and which was also a subject of discussion during the Major National Dialogue from 30 September to 4 October, 2019. Rehabilitation will enable the airport to receive a new lease of life.    
If people have been sceptical about the said projects eventually taking off, it is also because of the fact that many such initiatives have remained pipe-dreams in several parts of the country. Giving Cameroonians the chance to move from one part of the country to the other by air as their means permit will be such an incredible advantage that no one can ignore. Those who have often seen the prospects of major projects in the country as an opportunity to siphon state funds may never know how much pain they have been inflicting on the population. Getting projects around the earmarked airport to fruition will carry the hopes and aspirations of generations and communities. This will even be more evident now that the Minister of Transport has recalled the urgency of the work.    
Another sources of worry will for sure be the existence of private property around the various airports, especially those of Bertoua and Tiko that have known much neglect and decay over the years. Some people     might have fallen into the temptation of thinking that the land kept fallow around the airports constitutes free space for them to invade with their private investments. Using such subterfuges to ask for huge compensation with the risk of blocking the rehabilitation works could be disturbing. Many are still aware of how long it took government to construct the Kribi Deep seaport because people claimed land around the locality with the intention of making personal gain. It is true that people have at times carried out some of such activities with the complicity of those appointed to protect government land. But that too must be condemned! Airports in the country have generally suffered from encroaching human activities that do not go well with such environments.     
At this time and age, it will be disastrous that other structures being put up across the nation should suffer from the same setbacks. There has been enough time to learn from past errors and right all the wrongs. Apart from Yaounde, Douala and Garoua, pursuing this vision to provide modern air transport facilities in ...