Cameroon

Cameroon is known as "Africa in miniature" due to its diversity, representing more then 200 ethnic groups. More than half of the population lives in towns and cities. Douala, the country’s main port, and Yaoundé, the capital and an important transportation and communication centre, are the country’s largest cities. Almost 40 per cent of the urban population is living in slums. There is a crucial demand for housing and basic infrastructure such as roads and sanitation facilities. Floods are often a serious risk for people living in slum areas. The PSUP therefore focuses on the effects of Climate Change by building infrastructure such as access roads within the areas or river management near vulnerable regions.

The government is formulating a national program to upgrade slums in all Cameroonian cities. The main priorities of this program include social and economic integration of people through the development of income generating activities, promotion of self-employment and support for the most vulnerable households in the neighbourhood.

PSUP Contributions and Achievements

The implementation of the PSUP in the capital Yaoundé has helped to build the capacity of the population, particularly young people and women, to formulate and implement income-generating projects. As part of the PSUP, seven community-based organizations conducted development projects in their neighbourhoods. These projects have made it possible to clean up the areas where more than twenty-five thousand inhabitants live by providing access to daily waste collection and recycling, and by improving the capacity building of young people in terms of access to employment. The implementation of these projects has strengthened informal livelihoods, as well as the managerial capacity of young people and women. The pilot projects directly contributed to SDG Target 4.4, " By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship". In addition, these projects have contributed to Target 1.5 which is to "By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters".