Municipal judges invited to assist in settlement planning

This appeal was made by the Minister Jean Claude Mbwentchou at the close of the first national urban forum organized in Yaoundé last week.

First of its kind, the national urban Forum (FUN) closed its doors Thursday evening at Congress Hall in Yaoundé. Opened on 12 October by the Minister of housing and urban development (Minhdu), personal representative of the Prime Minister, head of Government, the meeting ended on a note of satisfaction, in the opinion of Jean Claude Mbwentchou.

At the end of three days of exchanges, the participants who were among others, mayors, representatives of the Government, representatives of civil society, technical and financial partners (BAD, GIZ, Onu-Habitat, World Bank...) and public and private sector companies (Maetur, Feicom, Sic, Mipromalo), made a number of recommendations.

They thus called on national and local authorities, to systematize the development and implementation of urban planning documents, emphasizing the involvement of professionals, the participation of people and all urban actors among others. They also urged them to initiate projects of positive transformation to cities.

Including those of Yaoundé and Douala, through restructuring and renovation works. The promotion of public-private partnerships and the technical and financial support of local initiatives were also among the nine recommendations.

This brought Minhdu to the close of this Conference, as organisers congratulated all the participants, because according to him, the objectives were realistic and attainable. They actually exceeded the expectations with regard to the recommendations made and especially in the number, quality and the diversity of the participants.

With a forecast of 300 participants, the national urban Forum ended up exceeding 700.