(Business in Cameroon) – The Urban Community of Douala (CUD) generated 2.176 billion CFA francs from urban planning administrative acts, including zoning certificates, building permits, and certificates of conformity, between 2020 and 2024. These figures were released on June 4, 2025, during a press conference for the third annual Urban Planning and Construction Days of Douala (JUD), scheduled for June 10-13 in Cameroon’s economic capital.
The revenue growth reflects an overall increase in the issuance of urban planning administrative documents. The number of building permits issued, for example, doubled from about 300 in 2020 to 600 in 2024. Over the same period, revenue also doubled from 1.092 billion CFA francs to 2.176 billion CFA francs.
Applications for building permits increased 48.5% from 637 in 2020 to 946 in 2021. The CUD also noted a 62.32% rise in processed zoning certificates, with 7,657 files in 2022 compared to 4,549 in 2021. These gains are attributed to the establishment of a one-stop shop in February 2022, which streamlines the issuance of land use and construction permits.
The one-stop shop was created to address previous challenges by centralizing all stakeholders in the land tenure process, including the CUD, land and cadastral services, housing and urban development departments, and the treasury. This consolidation has helped to resolve issues such as complex and lengthy issuance procedures, the fragmented nature of construction and urban planning stakeholders, and the relatively high costs associated with obtaining urban planning administrative acts.
Despite these improvements, the CUD acknowledges that current results do not fully capture the extent of construction activity in Douala. However, Bertrand Beb A Ikoue, coordinator of the one-stop shop, stated, “this shows that awareness-raising about proper construction practices is already bearing fruit.”
Ikoue emphasized the need for intensified public awareness campaigns in Douala, noting that “85% of buildings are constructed in violation of urban planning rules and principles.” A key objective of the third JUD event is to educate residents on the importance of obtaining urban planning administrative acts before investing. Such acts not only secure investments from an administrative standpoint but also promote sound land use within the city.
Frédéric Nonos
