DOI: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20251103.12 ISSN: 2575-1832
Transport Investment and Regional Economic Growth: An Economic Role of Transportation Infrastructure Development in Bafoussam City, Cameroon
Nadine Temgoua, Japhet Chianebeng, Sephora Guepi In their struggle to alleviate poverty, most Sub-Sahara African governments have credited transport infrastructure development as one of the most promising development indicator to achieve this goal. In Cameroon, investment in transport infrastructure is paving the way for timely delivery of local food from rural areas to urban centers, generating employment opportunities, enhancing living standards for low-and middle-income families, and improving access to healthcare and educational facilities, while also increasing savings rates. This paper explores this transportation investments on the economic development of Bafoussam city. It focuses on three key aspects: (i) the trends in transport infrastructure development in Bafoussam, (ii) the inter-connected economic impacts of these transport developments, and (iii) recommendation for future transport investments for sustainable economic growth. Socio-Economic Growth Indicators were employed to construct a comprehensive assessment of transport infrastructure investment in the study area. To access the trends in transport development, an ex-post facto research design using time series data for 2000-2010-2020 was projected and correlated with socio-economic development indicators. Qualitative data were sourced from key informants particularly household heads (n = 147), city authorities (n = 4), and focus group discussions (n = 5), enabling a nuanced inferential analysis and interpretation of the result. The empirical data collected set the groundwork for policy recommendations aimed at promoting sustainable transport investment while fostering economic growth. The outcome of the study shows that road transport investments have significantly increased over time in Bafoussam. The findings records significant socio-economic contribution as a result of transport investment. The regression analysis of the interconnected impacts of transport investment on various socio-economic development variables indicated a perfect correlation coefficient of 1.00*, with calculated p-values of .000*. While socio-economic growth factors such as employment, income, trade, education, and healthcare facilities appear to be improving, variations exist based on location and social class within the Bafoussam urban area. This suggests the need for combined place-based and people-centered policies to effectively address the impacts of road infrastructure projects.