Yaoundé's city government faces nearly CFAF 10.8 billion in outstanding payments for projects already undertaken, leaving limited room for new infrastructure spending in its 2027 budget.
The financial pressure emerged during an October 13 meeting of the council of Communauté urbaine de Yaoundé (CUY), the municipal authority governing Cameroon's capital. The session focused on budget priorities for 2027.
According to reports by state media, discussions among council committees revealed that numerous projects already undertaken, including some dating back to the 2024 fiscal year, have yet to be paid for.
Mayor Luc Messi Atangana confirmed that nearly CFAF 10.8 billion remains outstanding. The unpaid bills cover projects including an additional phase of solar-powered street lighting, municipal household waste collection and maintenance of paved roads.
The mayor has consequently made "the completion of ongoing projects" the first of six priorities in his proposed 2027 action plan. Citing limited financial resources, he pledged to continue efforts to control spending.
"These spending controls generate savings of nearly CFAF 20 billion, entirely allocated to investment," he said.
The indicative investment ceiling is set at CFAF 22 billion for 2027, rising to CFAF 24 billion in 2028 and CFAF 26 billion in 2029.
"More than six out of every ten francs spent by the city government will go toward investment," Atangana added, according to the government-owned daily newspaper.
The CFAF 10.8 billion in outstanding payments is equivalent to nearly half the investment budget planned for 2027. This means a substantial share of funds allocated to investment will first go toward settling old bills rather than financing new projects.
The city's plans for new infrastructure are therefore relatively modest. In transport and road maintenance, the CUY intends to rehabilitate four road sections totaling just over six kilometers.
These include the stretch between Mbog-Abang junction and Dovv Messamendongo junction in Yaoundé IV, along with three sections in Yaoundé III: Damase roundabout to the Ebom railway crossing, Efoulan bridge to the Obobogo railway crossing, and Shell Nsimeyong junction to Efoulan junction.
Nearly CFAF 1 billion will be allocated to street lighting and local public services, with spending focused on maintaining and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than expanding the network.
The three remaining priorities cover sanitation and waste management, a green initiative integrated into the city's climate plan, and the modernization of municipal administration.
Waste disposal remains the most pressing issue. The council suggested considering the construction of a new landfill because of mounting problems at the existing Nkolfoulou site, which has been operating for more than 20 years and is nearing capacity.
Atangana said land was available for a replacement facility but acknowledged that financing remained a problem.
Since 2019, the CUY has owned a 25-hectare plot in Ongot, in the Ngoumou district, intended for a second waste treatment site. Developing the facility is estimated to cost around CFAF 3 billion. So far, only a feasibility study for the access road has been launched.
Ludovic Amara