The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development reviews the implementation of the roadmap one year after the general states on waste management. The list of completed and upcoming actions is out of sync with the dumps blocking the streets in the capital.
Waste management in urban centers in Cameroon remains a real concern. One year after the general states on waste management, cities continue to present an ugly appearance worsened by the multiplication of illegal dumps and their scale. But, while city residents express their discomfort with the situation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development praises the progress made and reassures about the future of the cities.
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In a publication dated August 24, the ministry indicates an acceleration in the implementation of the roadmap on urban waste management. Essentially, the State is undertaking several types of actions contributing to the improvement of urban waste management. At the forefront is assistance to district municipalities in the daily collection of garbage and strengthening the operational chain.
Actions completed but insufficient
According to the ministry, Yaoundé has benefited from the construction of 11 waste collection points since 2025. They serve to eliminate anarchic dumps along roadways and in neighborhoods. Another 77 collection points are in the pipeline. Funded by the African Development Bank under the PCADY project, their construction has started in Yaoundé. The cities of Mbouda, Kumba, Foumbot, and Douala will also see work start soon.
The launch of construction work for the Simbock Transfer Center, the delivery of mechanical sweepers to the municipalities of Yaoundé 1st, Yaoundé 5th, Douala 3rd, and the Douala Urban Community; the order of other sweepers are other actions moving in the same direction.
The Minhdu also mentions financial support of 100 million FCFA allocated to SMEs and civil society organizations for the acquisition of pre-collection equipment; the allocation of seven 20-ton trucks to the seven district municipalities of Yaoundé; support granted to pilot units for manufacturing paving stones from plastic waste; the commissioning of the Ngombe sludge treatment station in Douala as well as the development of the National Program for the construction of urban waste management infrastructure are all initiatives deployed and in preparation to improve urban waste management conditions.
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Beyond these actions, the Minhdu then recalls achievements aimed at strengthening citizen mobilization. These include awareness and education actions on hygiene and sanitation, practical workshops on waste management.
Finally, the initiatives presented by the ministry also take governance into account. On this subject, it is learned that the national policy and strategy for hygiene, sanitation, and household waste management developed within the framework of the urban platform project were validated in May and June 2026. The ministry also reports having drafted a bill on city cleanliness.
All these actions should, to date, contribute to presenting a much-improved situation of waste management in cities. But, these days in Yaoundé in particular, dumps are full in some neighborhoods. Waste blocks the streets to the point of preventing traffic. During the Canal Presse broadcast last Sunday, the director of the National Media Observatory, Denis Omgba Bomba, called on the mayor of the Yaoundé 6 municipality to proceed with the removal of the Rond-point Express dump which prevents the Minister of Communication from passing to go to work. René Emmanuel Sadi detours to be able to get to the ministry. Aware of the situation in Yaoundé, the Minhdu remains optimistic and counts on future donor meetings as well as the 2025-2026 National Program to consolidate gains and improve sanitation.
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