(Business in Cameroon) – The government of Cameroon is seeking CFA5 billion to develop a 7-hectare mixed-use housing zone in Mbanga-Bakoko, located in the eastern part of Douala, the country’s economic capital. On August 20, 2024, Housing and Urban Development Minister Célestine Ketcha Courtès and Louis Roger Manga, the Director-General of the Urban and Rural Land Development Mission (Maetur), signed an agreement in Yaoundé to move the project forward.
The plan is to build a multifunctional residential area within two years. This development will include spaces for collective housing, commercial and service activities, as well as community facilities. Once developed, these land parcels will be sold, with Maetur also tasked with overseeing this process.
The Housing Ministry explains that the site was initially set aside to promote social diversity through the construction of various high-end housing units. This 7-hectare area is part of a larger 30-hectare tract in Douala, reserved under the government’s 2010 program to build 10,000 social housing units and develop 50,000 buildable plots.
To begin the project, the Ministry of Housing issued a call for project proposals. “After reviewing different proposals, we found Maetur’s approach to be the most suitable for achieving the desired mix to support both local and foreign real estate developers,” Minister Célestine Ketcha Courtès stated on Crtv, the public radio station.
The government hopes this project will help address the country’s housing shortage, which is officially estimated at around 2.5 million units.
