Yaounde: Housing minister launches project to empower girls in urban planning.

Urban Her is an initiative born within the framework of the Urban Platform Project in Cameroon, known by its French acronym, PUC. It is implemented by Expertise France and funded by the European Union, EU.

The project has as objective to enable future professionals understand how policies, tools, and innovations shape cities from the national strategic framework to the local realities of neighbourhoods and citizens. 

Officials said Urban Her is to highlight how digital technologies, geospatial data, and collaborative approaches can transform urban governance, in line with the ambitions of PUC in promoting integrated and inclusive planning based on reliable data.

Speaking during the launching ceremony, Minister Kétcha Courtes said the project is championed by the Head of State, President Paul Biya, to provide tools, skills and inspire young women and young people to enter urban professions. 

“We are training these young girls to become actors in the positive transformation of cities as envisioned by the President of the Republic. It is also about ensuring equal opportunity based on equal competence, in line with the President’s priorities,” the minister said.

Emphasising on the priorities of the Head of State, she added that: “When we speak of priority for the President of the Republic, it is always on the basis of equal competence. That is why we launched this initiative to enable young female students from Polytechnique and other schools of architecture and engineering, to take interest and be equipped to contribute their expertise and delicate touch to the construction of our cities, which are facing enormous challenges, notably climate change, population growth, and rapid urbanisation”.

Stating the role girls and women play in urban development, Minister Kétcha Courtes said when it comes to transforming our cities, women make up more than 50% of the population, and as desired by the Head of State, they must be trained to acquire skills in order to support the urban transformation of our cities and improve mobility within them.

“The goal is to give them the skills they need to be present, because co-building cities with women also represents an employment opportunity for young people, especially young women, and also bring them to the table,” Kétcha Courtes noted. 

Expressing gratitude, she thanked the European Union, with the supports it offers through Cameroon Urban Platform, Expertise France and the Cameroon Urban Platform for supporting on the practical side, both in waste management capacity-building and in strengthening project ownership skills for young girls and young people in the very important sector, in line with the Head of State’s vision.

Families urged to give equal rights to children

The Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Marie Thérése Abena Ondoa, talking to the press called on families to give equal opportunities to their children, both boys and girls.

She said: “If you give them equal opportunities within the family, we will see less marginalisation of young girls later on. But if you favour boys at home and leave girls to do all the household chores, they have less time to study and less time to take an interest in scientific careers”.

“I am calling on you, young people who will form families to give equal opportunities to your children, starting at home. It begins in the home. When it comes to academic orientation, there are no professions reserved for men and others reserved for women. That is why we do not see many women in these fields, not because they are incapable, but because they did not have the opportunity to be exposed, supported, or encouraged,” Minister Abena Ondoa said.

She noted that women must not be excluded from urban planning and those who are already in major institutions must understand the field and know what their place is within them. 

Enter EU representative

Meanwhile, the representative from the European Union, Silja Kasmann, expressed satisfaction at the level of young girls interested in engineering and architecture. 

She said “it's a big step for girls to be part of this adventure and that's why we are here also to empower more and more, to say it's in their hands and they should go ahead and do more for their life".

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3673 of Wednesday January 14, 2026