Yaounde: MINAT boss inspects dump sites, orders urgent clean-up.

This was during a joint inter-ministerial meeting on household waste management that held at the Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINAT. 

After the meeting, the minister led officials to inspect roadside dumps in the Yaounde III and Yaounde VI Subdivisions. 

According to MINAT, the discussions examined the state of household waste collection, the contracts awarded to collection companies and the financial and operational constraints affecting their work. 

The meeting brought together the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Célestine Ketcha Courtès, and the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, Georges Elanga Obam. 

Representatives of the Ministry of Finance were also in attendance. Other participants included the Governor of the Centre Region, Naseri Paul Bea; Mfoundi Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, Emmanuel Mariel Djikdent; the seven Divisional Officers, DOs and mayors of Mfoundi, and the Directors General of waste collection companies, HYSACAM and THYCHLOF. 

It emerged from the meeting that Divisional Officers will henceforth accompany council officials on field inspections at least twice a week. The visits, the MINAT boss said, will identify problem areas, accelerate waste removal and monitor the cleanliness of neighbourhoods under their jurisdiction. 

He added that the initiative followed instructions from President Paul Biya, concerning the accumulation of rubbish in several parts of the capital.

Atanga Nji added that although some areas of Yaounde remain clean, rubbish has stayed uncollected for several weeks or even months in other neighbourhoods. 

Officials also noted that earlier clean-up operations had improved conditions temporarily before dirt took over the streets again.

On its part, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development said waste management is a cross-cutting responsibility, requiring the participation of government departments, councils, administrative authorities, collection companies and residents.

Minister Atanga Nji noted that the issue was also raised by the Prime Minister, during the Cabinet meeting held a day earlier. 

He told stakeholders that Yaounde must remain clean throughout the year and not only when the country is receiving prominent visitors or hosting major international events.

“Cameroon must be a clean country. We are paid to produce results. We should not spend our time explaining why we have failed,” Atanga Nji said. 

Officials inspect roadside dumps

After closed-door discussions, Atanga Nji led the participating officials to Carrefour Total Melen and the Nsimeyong-Victor Hugo neighbourhood, where large heaps of waste covered one side of the road.

The minister instructed the councils to secure the immediate removal of the rubbish and maintain permanent clean-up operations within their municipalities.

He said administrative authorities would provide additional support to councils and waste collection companies experiencing operational difficulties.

According to Atanga Nji, authorities had demonstrated their capacity to keep the capital clean during the World Trade Organisation Conference and the visit of Pope Leo XIV. He called for the same standard to be sustained daily.

“We must develop joint strategies for lasting operations in this sector. It must become a daily and collective duty. We must get to work and take the appropriate measures to ensure that waste is removed,” the minister said.

According to the MINAT boss, authorities are also considering strengthening council participation in monitoring collection operations and creating specialised agencies to manage household waste.

The measures, he concluded, are intended to restore Yaounde’s image as a clean, sanitary and welcoming capital while ensuring that no Subdivision is left behind.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3895 of Monday August 31, 2026