In Douala, Cameroon, the “Healthy Food Market” project is being implemented in two pilot markets, New Deido and Ndogpassi, as part of efforts to prevent foodborne diseases and improve hygiene, sanitation, and overall food safety. Coordinated by the urban municipality, the project aims to gradually extend these practices to all markets in the city, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.
Traders in the pilot markets have organized themselves through their associations to maintain daily cleaning routines, including sweeping and waste collection. Awareness campaigns have eliminated unsafe practices such as selling food directly on the ground, and traders now use tables to display products. The project seeks to standardize these practices across Douala’s markets.
Key innovations of the project include integrating hygiene, sanitation, and food safety into daily market management. Meetings now address hygiene alongside revenue concerns, and facilities have been upgraded with proper slaughtering and poultry areas, maintained restrooms, permanent water points, and electrification to create safer market environments.
The selection of New Deido and Ndogpassi was guided by factors such as municipal ownership, market size, accessibility, governance structures, variety of food products, and local leadership commitment to hygiene and sanitation. These criteria ensured that the pilot markets could effectively demonstrate the project’s impact.
WHO’s support has been pivotal in strengthening food safety, helping structure hygiene and sanitation protocols and mobilize socially responsible partners. The Douala Autonomous Port provided essential equipment, including trash bins, hygiene tools, and protective gear for traders and cleaning teams, benefiting the pilot markets and enabling the extension of improvements to about twenty additional markets in the city.
