Placed under the joint patronage of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Higher Education, and the Promotion of Women, this inaugural session marks a departure from the traditional male hegemony of the sector. By targeting future engineers and architects from ENSTP, ESSACA, and Polytechnique, the Urban’Her program establishes itself as a laboratory for a more inclusive Cameroonian city, capable of reconciling digital innovation with social justice.

The initiative is at the heart of the Urban Platform Project in Cameroon (PUC), managed by Expertise France with the financial backing of the European Union, whose 4.9 million euro budget aims to modernize development policies by December 2026. Structured around an interdisciplinary journey in "three stages," the inaugural course enabled students to master the disruptive tools essential for managing modern metropolises. From mastering Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to using Collaborative Digital Platforms (CDP), these young leaders are trained to respond to rapid urbanization and climate challenges through an evidence-based data approach. This technical immersion is coupled with a regional dimension, comparing Cameroon’s urban trajectories with those of Morocco or Rwanda, to elevate local standards to the level of continental best practices.

The commitment at the highest levels of the State, demonstrated by the presence of three government members on January 13, emphasizes that inclusive planning is no longer an option but a sovereign imperative. By inviting these future professionals to imagine the contours of the city toward the 2050 horizon, Urban’Her operates a genuine transfer of decision-making power. The objective is to transform urban precariousness zones into viable and equitable spaces, integrating the specific needs of all segments of the population from the design phase. For the Cameroon of 2026, this female revolution in urban planning constitutes the essential lever for building cities that are no longer merely transit points, but true ecosystems of shared prosperity.

CK