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Cameroon launched Urban’Her on January 13 to encourage girls to enter urban planning and city-related professions.
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The initiative operates under an EU-backed program as urbanization accelerates toward 73% of the population by 2050.
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Authorities face challenges in scaling access, digital capacity, and job integration for participants.
On January 13, 2026, Cameroon officially launched Urban’Her, an initiative designed to encourage young girls to engage in city-related professions and become actors in urban planning. The first session took place at the National Advanced School of Engineering of Yaoundé and brought together the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Célestine Ketcha Courtès, the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, and the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Marie Thérèse Abena Ondoa.
Urban’Her operates under the Cameroon Urban Platform (PUC), which Expertise France implements with support from the European Union, and aligns with the National Platform of Urban Stakeholders (PNAU). The initiative brings together academic institutions, public authorities, multilateral partners, and civil society, while offering participants a space for learning, exchange, and inspiration.
At a conceptual level, the program introduces participants to urban and territorial planning as a comprehensive and evolving process that links national visions to local action. It also integrates sustainability, digital innovation, and social justice. The core exercise invites participants to imagine Cameroon’s cities in 2050 in order to generate solutions to rapid urbanization, land pressure, and climate change.
For the government, Urban’Her extends beyond technical training. Authorities present the initiative as a women’s empowerment policy aligned with President Paul Biya’s new seven-year term, which places women and youth at the center of national development. The stated objective focuses on training a new generation of leaders capable of building viable, inclusive, and equitable cities while strengthening women’s presence in professions that remain largely male-dominated.
Despite its potential, Urban’Her faces several operational constraints. First, access to and participation in technical training remains limited for young girls in some regions due to socio-economic and cultural disparities. As a result, awareness campaigns and targeted support represent key conditions for scaling participation across diverse groups.
Second, authorities face the challenge of absorbing new skills into Cameroon’s urban planning system. According to the World Bank, Cameroon’s urban population grows at an annual rate of 3.6%, and about 73% of the population will live in urban areas by 2050, compared with 53% in 2023. This trend increases pressure on housing, mobility, waste management, and infrastructure, and it heightens the need for coordination among local authorities, urban planners, and communities.
A third constraint concerns digitalization and innovation, which form central pillars of Urban’Her. Limited technological resources and uneven mastery of digital tools across institutions and local governments continue to slow progress. To enable participants to influence urban planning effectively, authorities identify expanded training in geographic information systems (GIS), multipurpose land registries, and collaborative digital platforms as essential steps.
Finally, the sustainability of the initiative will depend on its ability to convert training into concrete professional opportunities. Without internships, mentorship programs, and integration into real urban projects, the initiative risks remaining academic and limiting its impact on the ground.
Despite these challenges, stakeholders present Urban’Her as a strategic response to Cameroon’s urbanization pressures. By linking female leadership with technical skills, the initiative aims to support better-planned, more inclusive, and more sustainable cities while increasing young women’s participation in shaping the country’s future.
This article was initially published in French by Patricia Ngo Ngouem
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum