The World Bank has approved a $200 million funding initiative for the Sustainable Cities and Land project in Cameroon. This project aims to enhance access to climate-resilient infrastructure and improve land administration services in selected urban areas across the country.
The project, adopting a multi-sectoral approach, is expected to benefit approximately 2.1 million people in Cameroon. These benefits will come through improved access to urban infrastructure and better land administration services. Additionally, individuals and institutions involved in urban development will experience increased capacity, efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Cheick F. Kante, Division Director for Cameroon, highlighted the significance of this initiative by stating: “Cameroon has an estimated annual urbanization growth rate of 3.6%. By 2050, approximately 73% of the population will be living in cities compared to 53% in 2023.” He added that despite rapid urbanization, economic transformation has not been achieved yet in Cameroon. "Across the globe, cities are drivers of job creation and economic growth," Kante noted. "This project will help alleviate major structural bottlenecks that prevent cities from reaching their socio-economic development and job creation potentials in line with Cameroon’s development strategy.”
The Sustainable Cities and Land project is part of the World Bank's ongoing support for Cameroon's urban development sector. It takes an integrated approach with two main components: investing in transformative and climate-resilient urban infrastructure primarily in Yaounde and Douala; and improving land administration services which have been identified as critical obstacles hindering sustainable urbanization and private sector growth.
Technical assistance for preparing this project was provided by several organizations including the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the City Climate Finance Gap Fund, the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches (GPRBA), and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA).