Partners in slump upgrading and mitigating the impact of climate change In Bamenda urban met on Thursday September 4, 2025 to exchange views and provide inputs on two documents produced by the Community Initiative for Sustainable Development (COMINSUD).
The documents sizes the “Negative Impact of Climate Change in Sisia Using Global Tools” and “A City-Wide Climate Change Impact on the City of Bamenda” in the face of rising temperatures and also gives a quick guide to support the mainstreaming of climate change into national urban policies in Cameroon.
According to Mr. Fon Nsoh Micheal, Director of Cominsud, the sisia project is “an instrument of local learning, learning within the city of Bamenda, learning across the region, learning across the nation and globally”
The activities of Sisia as a slump are affected by activities elsewhere and what happens in Sisia also affects major parts of the city of Bamenda he added.
COMINSUD is intervening in three key aspects in the project . That is building social cohesion amongst the people of Sisia to promote the aspect of dialogue amongst community members. This is evident in the holding of community meetings every Mondays to discuss and address issues of common interest affecting them.
COMINSUD is also working on actions to set up nurseries to demarcate water catchments, plant trees and participate in constucting a 45 metre long by 2 meter wide walkway within the earmarked area. COMINSUD also carries out action to prevent indiscriminate waste disposal and to prevent landslide
Thirdly, COMINSUD is using the studies carried out in Sisia as an entry for a city wide study and to help develop climate change policies that will impact on national policies.
The Work shop brought together a network of actors involved in slump upgrading and climate change from the local Community, the Bamenda City Council and from the ministry of Urban Development and the UN Habitat that are also acting as partners.
Mr. Tifuh Jacob, representing The ministry of Urban development praised the resilience of the people.of Sisia with the help of COMINSUD to carry out activities to resist the negative impact of climate change.
He warned inhabitant of Sisia and Bamenda in general to take to instructions from experts because the Bamenda Escarpment falls on the volcanic fault like which could be prune to natural disaster. He advised those in areas earmarked for resettlement in Sisia to follow up instruction to avoid future disasters.
According to officials of the City Council, some 850 household affecting close to 6000 residents will be resettled from Sisia to other safer part of Bamenda following a study carried out.
The representative of the SDO for Mezam in his opening remark said “climate change cannot be separated from the quest to combat slump and achieve sustainable development”
He painted the Bamenda Escarpment that covers Sisia as one of the most hazardous zones in the city and with several landslide recorded in the recent past.
The slump upgrading program he continued has put in matigating measures to help the Sisia community cope to or adjust to impact of climate change. The areas has grown in population to over 20000 inhabitant in 2025 putting huge pressure on the environment with more landslide, floods, pollution and water scarcity recorded regularly.
The SDO invited all to “think locally and act globally” calling on all to take individual and collective responsibilities towards fighting climate change.*
The Sisia slump upgrading project that is implemented in three slots worth over 300 million FCFA is a collaboration of several partners including the local communities, councils and the technical expertise of the ministry of Urban Development and the UN Habitat with financing by FEICOM.
