Yaounde

Yaoundé has expanded across a hilly landscape where steep slopes, valley bottoms and rapid informal development complicate mobility, drainage and the provision of basic services. Growth has pushed housing into areas exposed to flooding and erosion, while the capital’s radial road system carries intense traffic between central institutions and expanding peripheral districts.

Current investment combines land management with climate-resilient infrastructure. The Sustainable Cities and Land project targets transformative urban works and improved land administration, while the PLIDY programme develops drainage channels, nature-based solutions and neighbourhood-access improvements. This matters because flood control cannot be separated from where and how the city grows. Yaoundé’s next phase depends on coordinating road networks, storm-water systems, public space and serviced land across a terrain that makes fragmented expansion increasingly costly and risky.