Fight against Urban Disorder: Douala City Council to fine occupants of sidewalks

The Douala City Council ( La Communauté Urbaine de Douala – CUD) is bent on cleaning Cameroon’s economic capital and rid it of urban disorder.

Faced with the anarchic occupation of the city’s highways and other major roads, the City Mayor of Douala has launched a crackdown on those unlawfully occupying sidewalks.

Mayor Roger Mbassa Ndine announced that in the coming days, there will be an introduction of fines as compulsory sanctions to occupants of sidewalks for any business purposes or similar ventures.

The City Mayor said the amount to be served as fines will be decided by a mutual agreement with the other six mayors of the city’s subdivisional councils.

With the major aim of the fine system introduced to dissuade persons from illegally occupying roadsides and paths reserved for pedestrians only, the City Mayor says the promise will be preceded by large-scale awareness campaigns as he notes that urban disorder has become a norm in Douala and might take more than a fine imposition to make people understand the need for order in the town.

In the Economic capital Douala, almost all the major roads, with the exception of the administrative district of Bonanjo, have been stormed by people who operate businesses there.

Despite the awareness raised by the authorities and some minor crackdowns on some f these businesses, the problem has nonetheless persisted. The latest of such incidents was in the case of the occupation of the Total Nkolbong-Stade Japoma section, one of the access roads planned to host the AFCON 2022 in Douala.

Mimi Mefo Info