Airport Lands: Security Non-Negotiable

H as airport security in Cameroon become a ne­ ver-ending blame game? The reason for asking this question stems from the fact that this is not the first time the issue of securing airport pre­ mises has been discussed at the highest levels of the State. A few years ago, mixed commissions were deployed to demarcate areas belonging to the State and identify, through cadastral surveys, all those who had encroached on the land. This was followed by the laying of a foundation stone for the construction of perimeter fences to secure the areas. All these steps were carefully accompanied by the disbursement of huge sums of money, as officials from the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure and the Ministry of Transport in Yaounde made countless trips to regions hosting these airports, in­ cluding Yaounde, Douala, Garoua, Maroua, and Kou­ taba, in an attempt to put an end to the cacophony prevailing around the precincts of these airports. Several years, months, weeks, and days have come and gone. Some stakeholders have changed, but little progress is visible on the ground, with no one rendering an account to the taxpayers. It is therefore very laudable and timely to hear that, during the Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on September 23, 2026, the government launched a major, non-negotiable operation to secure the land surrounding five of the country's key airport sites. According to the communiqué released at the end of the meeting, the government, in order to make things crystal clear, has divided the operation into two phases. The first involves the official iden­ tification of boundaries to re-verify cadastral coor­ dinates, register existing illegal structures, and finalize an official census of occupants within the 19-kilometre airport perimeter. The second involves the construction of secure perimeter walls, the re­ solution of land-title issues, and the implementation of social support or compensation measures as part of the eviction process. From strategies to clear unauthorized structures proliferating near runways and posing a threat to operations, to preventing buildings from becoming obstacles to aircraft, conducting an accurate census, clarifying land-registry details, and addressing po­ tential evictions and compensation, the government now appears focused on making these premises safer and more conducive to air transport operations. For this to become a reality, speech-making and bu­ reaucratic bottlenecks must give way to practical measures. Henceforth, coordinated communication between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure must be seamless in order to facilitate the implementation of a national programme to demarcate and physically secure the boundaries of these airport sites. It is at this stage that the government needs to place particular emphasis. Apart from fully involving the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) and Airports of Cameroon (ADC), the participation of the forces of law and order is indispensable to the ongoing operation. Experience has shown that if si­ milar operations have not been particularly successful in the past, it is partly because of strong resistance from some occupants during efforts to redefine and mark airport boundaries with large perimeter markers. The situation is particularly evident in Douala, where many people have violated administrative orders by encroaching on official airport land reserves. ...