LocationsPeace Infrastructures: PPRD Contributions to Sustainable Peace, Social Cohesion and Community Resilience in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest Regions
September 8, 2026
Aerial view of Rehabilitated GBHS Bamenda, North-West region
Years of conflict in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West Regions left more than damaged infrastructure. Schools closed, health facilities deteriorated, markets fell silent, and roads and bridges became difficult to use. Families were displaced, livelihoods disrupted, and opportunities for women and young people diminished. As public services weakened and economic activity slowed, social bonds were strained, challenging the resilience and unity that had long sustained communities.
Recovery therefore required more than rebuilding physical structures. It required restoring opportunities, confidence and social connections, while creating conditions for people to learn, work, access services, and rebuild their futures. Today, recovery is taking shape through the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction and Development (PPRD) of the North-West and South-West Regions, co-funded by the Government of Cameroon, the Government of Japan, the Islamic Development Bank, the Private sector in Cameroon and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), that is also as the implementing agency. The recovery programme has rehabilitated 99 schools, 39 health facilities and 23 markets, rebuilt more than 4 bridges, and constructed and equipped 20 Women Empowerment Centres alongside the Bamenda Proximity Stadium.
While these investments have restored essential infrastructure, their impact extends far beyond buildings. They are improving access to education and healthcare, revitalizing local economies, strengthening resilience and creating new opportunities for women and young people. Shared spaces for learning, commerce and recreation are helping communities reconnect and rebuild trust, transforming reconstruction into a broader story of inclusion, social cohesion, recovery, and hope.
From Deserted Classrooms to Renewed Hope
For many families, the return of children to school is one of the clearest signs of recovery. In communities where education was disrupted by conflict, rehabilitated schools are once again filled with students and teachers. Improved classrooms, furniture, and safety measures are creating environments where learning can thrive.
Where conflict once interrupted learning, renewed schools are opening doors to opportunity
Students taking lessons at a reconstructed classroom in GTHS Ombe
“The rehabilitation of our school has completely transformed our reality. Today, pupils learn in modern, spacious classrooms equipped with appropriate furniture, with a perimeter fence that has significantly improved their safety. Attendance has increased from 107 to 563, and teachers are more than motivated,” says Mallam Mutari Amisu, Manager of the Islamic Nursery and Primary School in Bamenda.
Beyond education, reopened schools are restoring routine, stability, and hope. They are once again serving as centres of learning, personal development, and social interaction, helping young people envision futures beyond conflict.
Healing Communities, Restoring Confidence and Well-being
Rehabilitated health facilities are also transforming lives. Residents who once travelled long distances for treatment can now access healthcare closer to home in safer, equipped facilities. The improved infrastructure and medical equipment have enhanced service delivery, particularly for women and children.
Partial view of Buea Town Integrated Health Centre, reconstructed under the PPRD
When healthcare returns, confidence and well-being return with it.
“The number of patients visiting the facility has increased by more than 50 percent, including pregnant women, while staff morale has improved significantly. The rehabilitation and equipment have restored confidence in our services and renewed hope for thousands of people who depend on this Health Centre,” explains Mrs. Mokwe Marie, Chief of Post, Buea Town Integrated Health Centre. The reliable healthcare environment being established not only improves well-being but also reinforces trust in public services and strengthens community resilience.
Reviving Economies, Strengthening Social Cohesion
The rehabilitation of local markets demonstrates how infrastructure can drive both economic recovery and social cohesion. Markets that once stood damaged or deserted are again bustling with activity. Farmers are selling produce, traders are rebuilding businesses, and customers from diverse communities are reconnecting in shared spaces.
For women traders in particular, safer, better-organized facilities have improved working conditions and income opportunities. As commerce returns, households are better able to invest in education, healthcare, and other priorities. These markets are once again serving as economic and social hubs, strengthening relationships and cooperation across communities.
Trade is back, businesses are growing, and communities are reconnecting
Konye Market, South West region
Women at the Centre of Recovery and Peace
Among the most transformative PPRD investments are the Women Empowerment Centres established across the two Regions. For women affected by displacement and economic hardship, these centres offer skills training, entrepreneurship support, and opportunities for collaboration.
“I have acquired skills that now enable me to earn an income, support my family, and look to the future with confidence. Beyond the training I benefited from, the centre has served as a place where I connect with women from different communities and engage together to contribute to peace and development,” says Magha Marie Suh, beneficiary of the Santa Women Empowerment Centre.
Reflecting the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, women across the two Regions are driving economic recovery, rebuilding social networks and promoting community cohesion.working conditions and income opportunities. As commerce returns, households are better able to invest in education, healthcare, and other priorities. These markets are once again serving as economic and social hubs, strengthening relationships and cooperation across communities.
Partial view of Santa Women Empowerment Center, North-West region: A safe space to learn, connect, earn and lead.
Beneficiary of Women Empowerment Center supported by PPRD
Empowered Young People are Building Peace and a Better Future
Young people are also playing a crucial role in the recovery process. Improved schools, vocational opportunities, and recreational facilities such as the Bamenda Proximity Stadium are creating new pathways for development and participation.
Aligned with the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2250, these investments recognize youth as important partners in peacebuilding and development. Access to safe spaces for sports, learning and social interaction is helping young people develop skills, build relationships, and contribute positively to their communities, while reducing vulnerability and exclusion.
Partial view of Bamenda Proximity Stadium: A safe space for young people to connect, compete and build a shared future.
Infrastructure as a Foundation for Peace
As recovery advances, the broader significance of these investments is increasingly evident.
“The reconstruction of the North-West and South-West Regions is not only about rebuilding infrastructure. It is about restoring dignity, creating opportunities and enabling communities to recover and prosper. Every infrastructure rehabilitated or reconstructed is helping families rebuild their lives and contributing to a more stable and inclusive future for the Regions and the Nation at large,” notes H.E. Paul Tasong, President of the PPRD Steering Committee and Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development.
Mathieu Ciowela, UNDP Cameroon Resident Representative, echoes the perspective. “What makes these investments remarkable is not only the infrastructure itself, but the opportunities it creates for social cohesion strengthening and conflict prevention. When a school reopens, a child returns to learning. When the market reopens, livelihoods are restored. When women and young people gain access to safe spaces and opportunities, entire communities become stronger. This is how these infrastructures are significantly contributing to and catalyzing resilience and sustainable peace.”
H.E Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister & Head of Gov't and team at the stadium during his visit to Bamenda within the sidelines of the PPRD-NW/SW Steering Committee meeting
Building Peace Through Everyday Change
The true impact of the PPRD is visible in everyday life. Children are back in school, mothers can access quality healthcare closer to home, women are generating income, traders and farmers are rebuilding livelihoods, and young people are finding places to learn, interact and thrive. These outcomes contribute directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to education, health, gender equality, economic growth, resilient infrastructure and peaceful societies. Yet the story goes beyond infrastructure. It is the story of communities choosing recovery over crisis, rebuilding not only infrastructure but also trust, relationships, and a shared vision for the future.
Across the North-West and South-West Regions, signs of recovery are visible every day: children walking to school, traders returning to markets, patients receiving care, women growing businesses, and young people connecting and pursuing new opportunities. These may seem like ordinary moments, but in communities facing years of challenges, they represent something extraordinary: the return of dignity, opportunity and hope. Ultimately, the legacy of the PPRD will not be measured only by the number of structures rehabilitated. It will be measured by the lives rebuilt within them and by communities increasingly defining their future through peace, resilience and shared prosperity.
Clean water is flowing again, and so is community life
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Harnessing renewable energy to build resilience for tomorrow.
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