Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Clobert Tchatat said the project is part of ongoing government’s move to dot the country’s major cities with 10,000 social houses by 2013. While lauding the SIC-Shelter Afrique partnership, which he stressed, should be sustained, the Minister said it is government’s desire to ensure a better living standard for its citizens and so the ongoing 10,000 housing units launched in 2009 to realise the dream has come to stay.
Cameroon, the DG of Shelter Afrique said, could gain two points in its growth rate should such a dream be realised in good time. Mr Ba urged the private sector to embrace the social housing sector, promising that his corporation is ready to assist them in the initiative. The “Revolutionary Building”, as the Immeuble 22 Hippodrome is fondly called, the GM of SIC said, is in line with long-term investments of the corporation and that ongoing similar project at Olembe in Yaounde and Mbanga Bakoko in Douala is proof of government’s determination to better the living conditions of the population. The Hippodrome project is expected to be complete in 24 months.
Going by the project’s technical file, the T-shaped 32-apartment building code-named “Immeuble 22 Hippodrome” will take a total surface area of 1,267.3 metres square and will comprise 16 type 4 and 16 type 5 apartments. Type 4 apartments contain a parlour, a kitchen, three rooms with two bath rooms, a waste-storage area, a toilet for visitors and balconies while type 5 is made up of a parlour, kitchen, four rooms, two bath rooms, a store, a visitor’s toilet and balconies.
