You will need a minimum of four hours to cover the 200km distance between Yaoundé and Douala, whatever the mode of transport used. This doesn’t include the extremely problematic city traffic given the state of total collapse of urban

roads in the two cities. In Cameroon, generalised transport costs, both direct (fuel, toll fees and travel tickets) and indirect (travel time and the harrowing nature of journeys) are extremely high.

Indeed, in view of the numerous problems that plague mobility in our country, we cannot avoid rethinking our transport policy in order to prepare for the future.

Issues are looming large at economic, social and even political levels. We must recognise the overwhelming urgen-cy of programming and phasing out only those projects that can be financed; changing our infrastructure philoso-phy by giving priority to routine transport and its maintenance rather than indulging in new major constructions; bridging the territorial gap by proposing inclusive mobility solutions; getting ready for the arrival of new uses and modes of transport for the future…

We should equally look for appropriate means to address existing ageing infrastructure. To achieve this, govern-ment shall have to decide on its priorities in terms of infrastructure renewal, reconversion and modernisation, in addition to the need for decentralised territorial units to take up the technical, financial and human challenge which includes the allocation of authority and responsibilities.

Conscious that we cannot do everything, we should at least endorse the strategic objectives of opening up and decongestion.

Profession?Engineer!

A quarterly publication of the National Order of Civil EngineersNo 031 of the 2nd quarter of 2019

by Kizito NGOA, President of the Order

INFRASTRUCTURE, NETWORKS, MOBILITY

Editorial ...................................................................CONTENTS

In order to be assured of an engineer’s right to practise the profession

of civil engineering in Cameroon,please visit the Roll of the Order

at www.onigc.cm

PublisherKizito NGOA

RedactionAndré Bosco CHEUOUAJulienne MANGAAlfred M. FORGWEITCHOUPLAOU

Design & printingDIGIWORKS

Editorial●

News●

Activities & Representations●

Forth-coming events●

Appointments●

Obituaries●

Certification●

New members●

Did you know ?●

Opinion●

Book

The sensitive Marché Essos road closed to traffic since two years.

News ...................................................................................● A decree signed by the President of the Republic reorganises the National Civil Engineering Equipment Pool (MATGENIE). The new instrument particularly establishes the possibility for MATGENIE to execute for valuable consideration, civil engineering services or works and to introduce bids for road projects (just like contractors to whom it is supposed to farm out its services).

● On 23 April, 2019, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new « La Falaise – Bonapriso » hotel in Douala. The 16-storey, 4-star hotel comprises 126 rooms, 12 suites and 12 apartments, all of high standing.

News

Profession? Engineer! - No 031 of the 2nd quarter of 2019

Activities & Representations .............................................................................................● InItIal tRaInIng - As announced in the previous issues of your Newsletter, capacity building and upgrading semi-nar-workshops were organised for stu-dents who graduated from FGI and ISS. Topics covered include: code of ethics, quantity surveying and estimates, opera-tional research and general construction processes; buildings 1 & 2; roads and en-gineering structures; public works.

Following the two-month training session, around one hundred participants received their participation certificate which, in compliance with the resolutions made by the MINESUP – NOCE platform in charge of improving the initial training system of Civil Engineers in Cameroon, will enable trainees to validly introduce an application file for registration into the Order.

● Following a series of tests carried out three days earlier, Mr Gaston Eloundou Essomba, the Minister of Water Resources and Power chaired last 16 April 2019, at the site of the Memve’élé hydro-electricity dam in the South Region of Cameroon, the "Power Up" ceremony the energy infrastructure supposed to be operational since 2017.

The "powering up" will enable the plant with a generating capacity of 211 MW to feed households and businesses of the inter-connected South network with its 80 MW initial production.

● The Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, Mr Georges Elanga Obam, has inaugurated Bertoua I Town Hall and new buildings to host FEICOM regional branches in the East and North Regions.

● A credit agreement was entered into on 28 February, 2019 between the Government of Cameroon and the World Bank. The credit worth 142.7 million Euros is aimed at easing access to urban infrastructure, services and opportunities in the poor neighbourhoods of seven cities (Douala, Yaoundé, Kumba, Ngaoundéré, Batouri, Maroua and Kousseri) wherein dwell un-third of Cameroon urban population.

Specifically, it shall help to build and rehabilitate 13 km of road and 57.7 km of drainage ditch, to build 78 km of pedestrian walkway and a sludge treatment plant in Douala, develop 900 hectares of sensitive areas, put in place 15 development committees and provide assistance to 300 youth associations committed to poverty alleviation.

● The People’s Republic of China has donated 54.4 billion CFA Francs for the construction of the new headquarters of the Cameroon National Assembly.

● With a new plant estimated at 28 billion CFA Francs and built in Nomayos in the Mefou and Akono Division, CIMENCAM will increase its cement production in Cameroon.

● The RAZEL BEC – EGIS Projects joint venture is the successful tenderer of the partnership agreement to design, finance and build 14 automatic toll stations in Cameroon.

● As from September 2019, Brussels-based DEM Group (Belgium), distributor of Hitachi, John Deere and Wirtgen brands intends to provide 669 civil engineering machinery to Cameroon. This operation shall be carried out with MATGENIE.

● In mid-May 2019, the Minister of Public Contracts terminated contracts with contractors and suppliers on grounds of shortage or failure. These entities are equally banned to tender for a period of two years.

● NIGERIA –The collapse of a four-storey building housing a school occurred on Wednesday, 13 March, 2019 in Lagos Island, a densely populated neighbourhood of the Nigerian economic capital, leaving at least twenty people dead.

The building was listed for demolition since 2017. The Governor of Lagos declared that the school was “illegal” and that house owners had refused to comply with the instruc-tions of public authorities to demolish several buildings in this historic neighbourhood: “they were built many years ago with poor quality materials in the absence of qualified building construction engineers”. In order to avoid similar tragic situations, the authorities of Lagos have sent bulldozers into the sector and have started demolishing other buildings therein.

● CÔTE D’IVOIRE – Construction works of Cocody Bridge, the fifth in the city of Abidjan, which will link the residential council of Cocody to the administrative and business centre of Plateau were launched in March 2019. The 1.5 km–span engineering structure shall include a 634 m-long bridge, a 260 m-long viaduct, 2 interchanges, crossovers, access roads and an adaptation of existing accesses.

Chinese group China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) shall carry out the works for an overall investment cost worth 105 billion CFA Francs over a period of 24 months.

● FRANCE – Found guilty of homicide and bodily injury on 13 March, 2019, Aéroports de Paris was imposed a 225 000 Euros fine 15 years after the collapse of part of terminal 2E of the Roissy Airport that left four people dead and seven others injured. Fines were equally imposed on three sub-contractors: 150 000 Euros on certification office Bureau Veritas and 100 000 Euros on Consultancy Firm INGEROP and manufacturer CTM, a subsidiary of Vinci, respectively.

The Court recognised having held that ADP was inter alia guilty of "negligence" for presenting a technically “unfinished project” to its sub-contractors who, in their turn, were accused of having poorly conducted the design studies aimed at verifying whether concrete could withstand pressure. Bureau Veritas should have “warned” ADP and “make necessary reservations”, the Court added.

The close of the Yaoundé workshops

● Representatives of the Order recently took part in various meetings and events:

- Executive Board of the Advanced National School of Public Works (ENSTP)

- Steering Committee of the Public-Private Partnership Implementation Support Council (CARPA)

- Round table on archive infrastructure (MINAC)

- Restitution of the Study to restructure/renovate poorly-structured neighbourhoods in Bamenda, Kribi and Nkol-Bikok-Yaoundé (MINHDU)

- Validation workshop of the town-planning regulation relating to the land use plan of Dibombari Council (Littoral)

- 10th session of the task-force in charge of developing FEICOM headquarter building surroundings

- Review of the development study of urban corridors along the Yaoundé-Nsimalen highway

- Workshop on mainstreaming climate-related issues and risk factors in urban planning (PDVIR)

- Workshop on the strategic goals and the five-year action plan of the Regional land use and development plans (MINEPAT)

The proceedings, working documents and reports relating to these meetings are available for consultation at the headquarters of the Order. Comments are expected to beef up the stance of the Order at these various meetings.

Forth-coming events ..........................................................■ new Civil Engineer tECHFESt – Festival of innovations and technologies – 26 Sep-

tember 2019, London (UK)

■ 26th World Road Congress “Connecting cultures – Enabling economies” – 6-10 October 2019, Abu Dhabi (UAE)

■ BatIMat 2019 – World construction exhibition – 4-8 November 2019, Paris (France)

Appointments .....................................................................● Guy Daniel ABOUNA ZOA (Enrolment number 02-0017), member of the Council of the Order, was reappointed Director General for Technical Studies at the Ministry of Public Works.

● Christine Virginie R. METANGMO ép. LEKEUFACK (Enrolment number 02-0127), was appointed Director General for Infrastructure Works at the Ministry of Public Works.

● Joseph NDJOCK (Enrolment number 05-0788), Auditor of the Order, was appointed Littoral Regional Delegate for Public Works

● Marcus NDUMBE MBESSA (Enrolment number 19-2357), was appointed South West Regional Delegate for Public Works

● Charles BWEMBA (Enrolment number 02-0111), member of the Council of the Order, was reappointed Sub-Director for Railway Infrastructure Works at the Ministry of Public Works.

● François Xavier MPON (Enrolment number 04-0749), was appointed Inspector No 3 at MINDCAF

● Jacquinot VOUNDI (Enrolment number 02-0315), was appointed Director of general Affairs at MINDCAF

● Claude MISSE NTONE (Enrolment number 13-1501), was appointed Director of Rail Transport at MINT

● Commandant Désiré Placide NKAMBA (Enrolment number 08-1009), was appointed Research Assistant at the Works supervision and monitoring Brigade of the Ministry of Defence.

Obituaries ..........................................................................● Théodore NTAMAK (Enrolment number 04-0769), 58, retired civil servant of the Ministry of Public Works and for-

mer supervision mission head, passed away on 8 May, 2019 from illness.

● Martin MAFO (Enrolment number 03-0673), 59, DIDON Conseil supervision mission head, died from illness on June 04, 2019 in Douala.

Certification .......................................................................CREACONSULT engineering firm received its 2015 version of ISO 9001 Certification, a norms which establishes require-ments relating to quality management systems. The norm helps enterprises and institutions to be more efficient and strengthen client satisfaction.

Actions

Profession ? Engineer! - No 031 of the 2nd quarter of 2019

New members ...................Recently enrolled to the Order(Membership & Name)

19-2401 NKE Armand 19-2402 MANDA-AH Macmillan NJOFIE19-2403 MOUGOUSI EMVONG Olivier Placide19-2404 TCHIAGUIA NKENG Kevin Victor19-2405 AWOUNANG DJOUMETSA Polydos19-2406 KAMWA FOKO Patrick Walter Junior 19-2407 FONGANG TCHOUBA Octave Degonzague19-2408 AWOUOYENYINYI Aboubakar Sidiki 19-2409 EKEH Jeannette 19-2410 EMAHA TIENTCHEU André Socrate19-2411 TABOPDA TAFE Marius 19-2412 MBALLA Bernadette Panine19-2413 SEME Jean Baptiste 19-2414 ESSELEBO ESSELEBO Davy Arcel19-2415 TATITSOP MANFO Narcisse 19-2416 TCHATO CHUIDJANG Daniel 19-2417 TAKWA Aloysius TATAW19-2418 NGWE BANACK Apollinaire Achille 19-2419 ESSONO François Maurice 19-2420 FOGUE WABO Harold Parfait 19-2421 NOUBISSI TCHUENTEU Pascale19-2422 SIGNOU NOCHIE José Loïc19-2423 BESSONG Thomas TAMBE 19-2424 MBALLA ONDOUA Edmond Joseph19-2425 DJOUMETE TAGA Dalila 19-2426 MAKAMYOU S. Monique A. ép. KONTCHOU19-2427 NGASSAM TCHOUYA Mary-Godlove19-2428 ABINA OYONO Pierre Armand 19-2429 NZUMGUENG KUATE Fabrice 19-2430 ESSAMA AMOUGOU Charles Steve 19-2431 KOUANKEP MOUNGANG Emmanuel19-2432 AWOUA Bienvenu 19-2433 FANTA Marguerite 19-2434 KOUOTOU MOUNJOUOPOU Sylvain 19-2435 MOYOU André Yves 19-2436 TAMEZE TENEFO Loïc19-2437 SOCGNIA TCHOFFO Yvan Landry 19-2438 TACHAGO FOTSO FOURIER Amaud19-2439 NYANTARE HAROUNA Hugues19-2440 NKEMCHIA Donald LANDOH 19-2441 NGIMBOND Calvin Fabien 19-2442 KENMEUGNE Achille Blaise 19-2443 TEPI DZEE Sylvin19-2444 SIMO SIMOLydie Laure19-2445 NZEDJAN POUEME Loïc Germain 19-2446 ELOUNDOU Médard19-2447 MBIABO Isaïe19-2450 KUISSU MELAJIE Adèle19-2451 KEPGANG NOUTHE Dughall Einstein 19-2452 DOURWE Samuel 19-2453 KANYIM HOMSSI Herman 19-2454 PENDA Armand Alexandre19-2455 TCHONANG Magellan 19-2456 KENGNE TAGNE Constant19-2457 GUIFFO VOUGMO Fabrice Philippe19-2458 NKO EBOBISSE Guy Saviniem19-2459 BEKOLO MINBAMA Christian19-2460 SONE-NGOLE Kenneth METUGE

Contactsnational Order of Civil EngineersMontée Elig Essono - P.O. Box 20822 YaoundeTel / Fax : +237 222 21 42 58Cell : +237 677 66 10 66 / 655 01 02 03E-mail : onigc.infos@ymail.comWebsite : www.noce.cm

Dixit ........................................................................“By 2020, 90% of engineering structure design shall be done through BIM (Building Information Modelling)”.The Chief Executive of Egis Group, Nicolas JACHIET, has given absolute priority to digital development. This has a great im-pact on both organisations and trades.

Opinion

Resources

Profession? Engineer! - No 031 of the 2nd quarter of 2019

No more archive services in cellars! Dusty cellars filled with animal droppings where the staff, worried about contracting allergies is afraid to step their feet. No more archive services in basements! Narrow, damp and mouldy basements where sewage water flushing in pipes endlessly sing a hellish song. At the occasion of the International Archives Week, it is high time to say that Cameroon is entitled to such places of remembrance which should be modern buildings that are functional, safe, green, aesthetic…Functional buildings where the four functions of an archive service: the four Cs (collection; classification; conservation and communication) are translated into architectural design in the main premises of the building. Safe buildings where the façades, the walls, the floors and the dynamic roofs that challenge the works of time preserve unique documents set aside for present and future generations.Green buildings where the concepts of sustainable development and the use of renewable sources of energy contribute to the conservation of a sustainable memory.Aesthetic buildings where the forms, curves, lines and angles form an almost magical structure that arouses strong emotions with the inter-play of filled and empty spaces, of surfaces and volumes and of light and shades. Yes, for our archives we need modern buildings, places of remembrance which build us as we build them.

Dr. Narcisse EKONGOLO MAKAKE

Design of archive buildings in the 21st century

KOUMBa

Named Koumba, the name of the world wrestling champion born at Arpajon (Essonne) in France, the second tunnel-boring machine to extend Line 14 towards the South was christened in late April 2019. This increases to six the number of tunnel borers in use in the Grand Paris Express project, four being currently excavating Line 15 to the South.

Manufactured by Herrenknecht, Koumba which is 8.8 m wide, 96.6 m long and weighs 1 250 tonnes shall excavate the 4.5 km long tunnel from Morangis (Essonne) to Pont-de-Rungis (Val de Marne) between June this year to July 2020. The project owned by RATP was awarded to a joint-venture led by NGE and including Salini Impreglio for an overall amount of 203 million Euros exclusive of taxes.

The construction of this tunnel shall be a major technical challenge for Koumba which will carry out its excavation works under Orly runways without stopping airport activities during works.

URInE

In replacement of burnt clay, South African researchers are developing a brick of sand and … urine mix.

and SUddEnlY…

The scale model of the bridge designed by Renzo Piano to replace the collapsed Italian bridge (Morandi Bridge Genoa) is broken. Embarrassing indeed.

KIlOgRaMME

The new international definition of the kilogramme entered into force on Monday, May 20, 2019. Farewell “Grand K”. This new measurement shall henceforth have a mathematical definition and shall no more refer to a physical object. The new international measurement system which shall equally apply to the ampere, the kelvin, and the mole was agreed in November at Versailles, within the vicinity of Paris by the General Conference on Weights and Measures which was set up at the late 19th century and meets every four to six years.

Did you know? Book ...............................to be consulted at the Document

Resource Centre of the Order

disaster Information Managementfor Road administrators

(TC Risk Management, PIARC, 85 pages, 2019)

Countries that experience disasters acquire unique disaster management knowledge and develop tai-lored countermeasure technologies based on their experiences. As societies diversify, damage caused by disasters changes as society changes. There-fore, the type of technology necessary to manage disasters in each country needs to continually adapt as populations grow and society changes. Most disaster management technologies have been developed to respond to the emergency ma-nagement phase. Previous disaster management technology has been mainly developed in the area of hard management, such as safe infrastruc-ture. More countries are currently considering the management of disasters with a series of conti-nuously applied management techniques through the pre-event, emergency, and post-event phases. This has identified the benefits of combining hard and soft management techniques to improve ove-rall disaster management outcomes.

This report identified "Disaster Information Mana-gement" and "Disaster Management with the Pu-blic" as current important technologies to manage disasters with adapting to the society changes. The report highlighted some case studies for the best practices for improving the management technologies in disaster situations. Therefore, this information would be very beneficial not only to the countries with the disaster risk, but also to the low and medium income countries, for improving the structures in management of disastrous situa-tion.

This report also highlights the fact that these iden-tified management technologies has limitations for applying to the countries because risk-aware-ness is a key influence on the ability of a country to prepare for managing disasters.