When Prime Minister Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute officially launched the Bamenda Urban Crossing Project on September 17, 2025, the atmosphere across Veterinary Junction was thick with hope, relief, and expectation. After years of conflict, interrupted development, and infrastructural decay, the return of heavy machinery to the heart of the city signaled a new possibility. Yet as the Prime Minister cut the ribbon and declared that “a promise made is a promise kept,” it became clear that for Bamenda to rise, the conversation must go far beyond the launch of a single road network. It must return to the fundamental question of what a modern city should look like and whether we are willing to build Bamenda according to that standard.
The newly launched Urban Crossing is a major investment covering 11.6 kilometres of interconnected roadway funded with World Bank support and executed by MINDHU and MINTP. Compensation has been paid, designs completed, and construction is set to move at full speed. But for a city built among hills and valleys, physical planning must be intelligent. Bamenda’s terrain has long turned heavy rains into destructive forces, carving erosion gullies through neighbourhoods and flooding low-lying communities like Below Foncha, Mulang, and Old Town. Urban development that ignores the land’s character is a recipe for recurring disaster. This is the moment for terrain-sensitive engineering, proper slopes, robust drainage and stormwater systems, and climate-smart solutions such as urban trees, rehabilitated wetlands, permeable pavements, and rainwater harvesting. A city cannot claim modernity if it cannot manage its own rainfall.
If the Urban Crossing is to symbolise change, then it must also change how Bamenda designs its roads. Roads must serve everyone not only drivers. They must include wide sidewalks for pedestrians, ramps for persons with disabilities, safe crossings for children and the elderly, clear signage, and proper street lighting. Motorcycle traffic, which dominates the city, requires thoughtful planning, including designated lanes where possible. True mobility in a city goes beyond vehicles; it is about creating safe, accessible movement for all. Bamenda must also begin laying the groundwork for structured public transport systems with organised terminals at Nkwen, Commercial Avenue, and Food Market, while improving feeder roads to rural-urban communities like Akum, Chomba, and Nsongwa that sustain the city’s food supply.
Beyond mobility, the city’s housing landscape must evolve. Many expanding neighbourhoods from Mile 6 Nkwen through Ntahbessi to Nsongwa are growing without proper planning or utilities. For Bamenda to become a standard city, it must transition from spontaneous settlements to planned layouts equipped with water, electricity, drainage, and road access. Affordable housing policies must become a priority, and the culture of building on risky slopes or wetlands must end through strict zoning and enforcement. Land tenure must be simplified, transparent, and digitilised to reduce disputes and encourage investment.
Development also demands dignity in life’s basics. A city cannot call itself modern while households struggle for clean water, drainage is clogged, and markets operate without toilets. Water access must extend beyond the overstretched capacity of Camerounaise des Eaux (CANWATER). Public toilets must become a standard, not an exception. Waste management must evolve from simple collection to sorting, recycling, composting, and community-led initiatives. The Councils alone cannot carry the burden of a city whose population is steadily growing.
Economically, the Urban Crossing opens an opportunity to transform livelihoods. Good roads allow movement, but they do not create prosperity on their own. Markets such as the Main Market, Nkwen Market, and Food Market need redevelopment with better sheds, safer spaces, cleaner environments, and opportunities for digital payments that modernize trade. The city’s rising creative economy like fashion, design, music, media, and technology would thrive with better infrastructure and targeted support. Small businesses require tax incentives, shared workspaces, microfinance, and access to stable energy. With Bamenda’s rich agricultural potential, especially across the Mezam, agro-processing industries could unlock the city’s next economic frontier.
At the heart of any city’s growth are its people. This means schools, clinics, sports complexes, community halls, libraries, and cultural heritage sites must be preserved, improved, and expanded to match population growth. Public facilities must be fully accessible to persons with disabilities which is an issue Bamenda can no longer postpone. Culture must also be cherished. Palaces, shrines, and historic buildings are the soul of the city and the backbone of identity.
But even the best infrastructure means little without peace. The Prime Minister’s reminder of the 2018 attacks on road workers was painful but necessary. Development cannot flourish where violence, mistrust, and fear overshadow progress. Yet peace is not restored by speeches alone. It is strengthened by development people can see and feel. Public spaces should be designed with safety in mind considering good lighting, clear visibility, and friendly pedestrian spaces. Projects must be conflict-sensitive and planned through dialogue with affected communities, traders, quarter heads, women’s groups, youth associations, and the movement of persons with disabilities. Urban development cannot be imposed; it must be owned.
And that ownership is achieved through participation and transparent governance. Bamenda’s residents must see themselves in the city’s plan. Councils must publish project budgets and timelines. Development plans must be openly shared. Citizens must have digital portals where they can report problems and track progress. A modern city is one where the people are not spectators but co-designers.
To complement all of this, Bamenda must lean into technology. A 21st century city requires strong internet connectivity, digital address systems, CCTV for security, traffic monitoring tools, online building permits, and open data systems. No investor will build a future in a city that is offline. Technology is no longer optional but foundational.
Finally, disaster preparedness must be at the core of the city’s planning. Bamenda must identify landslide zones, flood risk areas, and hazardous slopes and enforce laws that prevent settlement there. Communities must be trained on emergency response. Pre-disaster planning is cheaper than post-disaster recovery.
The Urban Crossing Project represents a moment of renewal for Bamenda and a moment when political will, funding, engineering, and citizen aspiration are aligning. But its success will not be measured in kilometres of asphalt. It will be measured in whether it becomes the foundation for a new planning culture which is one rooted in sustainability, inclusiveness, climate resilience, security, and transparency.
If Bamenda chooses this path, then this project will be the beginning of the city we have always deserved. A peaceful, modern, and people-centred Bamenda being a city ready to cross into its future with confidence and pride.
By Bakah Derick
Bakah Derick is a multiple award-winning Cameroonian journalist and mediapreneur, serving as Vice President in charge of International Relations at the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union and leading Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd to amplify community voices and governance issues. With nearly 20 years in the field, his impactful reporting spanning human rights, environmental protection, inclusive development, and sports has earned him prestigious honours such as the 2024 VIIMMA Humanitarian Reporter of the Year and more. Email: debakah2004@gmail.com Tel: +237 675 460 750
