Housing and Housing Policy

This chapter isolates the factors that contribute to the problem of qualitative and quantitative deficiencies in Cameroon&s;s housing market. It draws attention to the important, but often ignored, role of the state in a developing housing market such as the one under examination. A significant number of the units comprising the country&s;s housing inventory is owned and operated by private institutional bodies. The chapter examines the housing market in Cameroon with a view to promoting understanding of the nature of the country&s;s housing problem. It also draws attention to the fact that housing units in the mini-cites are usually of a higher quality than units in the general housing market. The chapter explores that a large gap exists between what the Cameroonian State desires in terms of housing and building standards, and what people can afford under prevailing economic conditions. It shows that how own interests are articulated within the country&s;s housing policy field.