Social Housing : Meeting Growing Needs

C ameroon currently faces an estimated housing deficit of 2.5 million units. The housing needs are increasing yearly as population growth keeps soaring coupled with rapid urbanization. If figures on urbanization are anything to go by, an estimated 53 per cent of the country’s population is said to be living in urban centres and the urban population rate is growing at 3.5 per cent per year. Paradoxically, the population growth and the massive rural exodus is not proportionate to the housing supply especially decent housing. Statistics further indicate that about 60 per cent of urban dwellers in Cameroon are living in informal settlements. In major cities like Yaounde, Douala, Bamenda, Bafoussam, among others, shanty­ towns are ubiquitous in many neighbourhoods as inhabitants are battling to get a shelter over their heads. This illustrates the huge and urgent need for decent but affordable housing in the country. The huge deficit has prompted recent debates on public- private and municipal strategies to lower construction costs and increase the availability of decent homes to bridge the gap. The government had in the past years announced the construction of 10,000 low- cost social housing in Yaounde and Douala but this project is yet to be com­ pleted several years after. Yet, the government has again announced that it is targeting some 20,000 af­ fordable homes. The announcement contained in the Maroua Declaration on Decent Housing in Cameroon adopted on October 5, 2026 at the end of the 40th World Habitat Day celebration, have left tongues wag­ ging on the feasibility of the project given that mitigated results of existing housing projects in the country speaks volumes of more talking than concrete actions. The 20,000 low-cost social homes according to the Maroua Declaration would make use of local materials, low-carbon building materials and industrial prefabrication methods. The project according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINHDU) will operate via public-private partnerships, involving local councils, universities, and government. However, a lot of uncertainties surround the project as no concrete details on funding, how much investment will be required, realisation time frames etc have been specified. The declaration is as ambiguous as imagi­ nations prompting pundits to call on authorities to walk the talk through concrete actions. However, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Celestine Ketcha Courtes said the Maroua Declaration will be submitted to the Head of State for approval. The huge housing deficit of 2.5 million which keeps growing, should not be taken lightly if the wellbeing of the population means anything to the authorities. With the current national housing shortage, 20,000 units will only cover 0.8 per cent of the identified needs. It is thus imperative for the various stakeholders to ensure that concrete actions are taken to make this a reality in the nearest possible time. This should not also fall in the same drawers where previous projects have been dumped. What is baffling is that even local councils which within the ambits of decentralization would have helped to drastically reduce the housing deficit in the country, also have a lukewarm attitude towards social housing projects. According to the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM), the Municipal Housing Estate Programme, launched since 2013 in partnership with Credit Foncier Du Cameroun, has only secured fi­ nancing for 1, 796 homes across 100 municipalities. As at October 13, 2026 only 623 of those houses have been completed. Similarly, in Apri...