Yaounde’s mounting garbage crisis has sparked a public feud between the Minister of Housing and Urban Development (Minhdu), Célestine Ketcha Courtès, and the city’s mayor, Luc Messi Atangana. Recent exchanges between the two officials reveal differing views on the measures needed to address the city’s sanitation woes.
In a letter dated September 3, 2024, Minister Courtès reminded Mayor Atangana of urgent actions previously requested to tackle the persistent waste problem. This followed a crisis meeting on July 18, where she launched the “Coup de poing, Yaoundé sans poubelles” operation, aimed at swiftly clearing the city’s piles of garbage.
Recommended measures included installing “no dumping” signs, revising contracts with waste management companies Hysacam and Thychlof, and improving coordination with district municipalities.
However, Mayor Atangana’s response on September 4 highlighted significant challenges. He cited funding shortages at Hysacam and Thychlof as obstacles to regular waste collection and argued that the city’s budget could not cover the permanent costs of waste management. He called for the release of a “special fund” by the government and more flexible procedures for selecting waste management companies.
New Operators and Delays
The mayor also criticized delays in implementing the minister’s directives, including slow contract amendments and ineffective “no dumping” signs. He lamented the slow recruitment of new operators to replace Hysacam and Thychlof. On June 5, 2024, the Yaoundé Urban Community (CUY) launched an international tender to recruit four contractors for waste collection. The total cost of the operation is estimated at XAF61.8 billion. The submission deadline, initially set for August 20, 2024, was extended to September 20, 2024. Hysacam and Thychlof, whose contracts expired on December 31, 2023, must now submit new bids to continue operations.
Growing Sanitation Crisis
Despite efforts to address the crisis, Yaoundé’s streets remain littered with waste, posing a serious threat to public health and the environment. “Not a single corner of the city is spared. The filth is visible everywhere,” acknowledged Célestine Ketcha Courtès during the July 18 meeting. In his December 31, 2023, address, President Paul Biya instructed the government to find a swift and lasting solution to waste management. “Given the worsening situation, I have instructed the government to urgently find a sustainable solution to the problem of household waste collection in our cities, in collaboration with the municipalities and Urban Communities,” the president stated in his traditional year-end message to the nation.
The measures recommended during the July 18 meeting are intended as temporary solutions before the implementation of “major reforms,” according to the minister. These reforms, it is learned, involve the construction of modern infrastructure suited to sustainable waste management, the mobilization of funding to better address the issue, the development of new strategies aligned with the projected needs of cities, and the provision of support to decentralized local authorities in implementing hygiene and sanitation actions.
Patricia Ngo Ngouem
