As part of its waste management policy for 2026, the Douala Urban Community (CUD) plans to mobilize CFA367 million to develop a waste transfer center in Bonaberi, in the city’s 4th district. Such facilities act as transit points, where waste collected by garbage trucks is consolidated before being transported, using higher-capacity equipment, to treatment sites, with the aim of controlling logistics costs.
At this stage, the CUD has not disclosed the name of the contractor, nor the technical specifications or construction timeline for the center. The project will become Douala’s second waste transfer facility, after the Youpwè site in the 2nd district, which was built in September 2024 by Hygiène et salubrité du Cameroun (Hysacam).
The development comes as the CUD has just awarded household waste collection and transport services in Bonaberi to a new operator, Genelcam. The site is intended to handle waste from a densely populated and poorly serviced district, with the goal of improving logistical efficiency and service delivery.
The CUD is seeking a leverage effect similar to that highlighted during the inauguration of the Youpwè center in 2024. At the time, Hysacam Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Ymele said the facility would reduce waste transport costs by about 23%, or CFA10,500 per ton, down from CFA13,000 previously.
The municipality also expects operational gains in a city that generates around 2,700 tons of waste per day, about 70% of which is collected by Hysacam. The Bonaberi center should enable Genelcam to lower collection costs, while providing the city with a mechanism to amortize the infrastructure.
The project is also presented as support for the circular economy, through the recycling of pre-sorted waste by specialized companies. According to Mayor Roger Mbassa Ndine, the initiative is intended to optimize waste management services across the city of Douala.
Frédéric Nonos
