Updating Road User Costs in Cameroon: Challenges and Perspectives

Abstract: This article analyzes the importance of updating Road User Costs (RUC) in Cameroon, in a context where the degraded state of road infrastructure generates significant economic and social costs. These costs include vehicle operating expenses, time losses, accidents, and other externalities. Cameroon suffers from a lack of updated data (the latest dates from 2009), which distorts economic analyses of road projects and limits the effectiveness of public policies. The objective of this article is to present an overview of the challenges related to RUC updating and to identify future perspectives. The article highlights several major challenges : data obsolescence, arbitrary pricing, low utilization of the HDM-4 model (cost simulation tool), and insufficient technical and financial resources. Through a concrete application of the HDM-4 model (Highway Development and Management Model) on the Messamena–Bengbis–Ekong–Sangmélima section, the article demonstrates the positive impact of rigorous data updating on the profitability of road projects. Simulations show significant gains for users in terms of reduced operating costs, time, and accidents. The study concludes that the systematic integration of RUC updating into road management policies is essential to improve infrastructure governance, attract international funding, and promote more equitable and sustainable economic growth.