Three students from the Cameroon Higher Special School of Architecture will graduate on November 19, 2015.

Preparations are underway at the Cameroon Higher School of Architecture, ESSACA, in the Bastos neighbourhood of Yaounde. The school will soon make history as it graduates the first set of locally-trained architects after six years of training for some students and five years for others. According to the Executive Director of ESSACA, Jean Jacques Kotto, the graduation of three architects with Master’s II degrees is a milestone in the annals of the profession in the country. Before now, all of Cameroon’s architects were trained abroad. He explained that seven students began the course in 2009, but the other four repeated.

In preparation for Thursday’s epoch-making event, the school has organised a number of activities. Monday, November 16, 2015, saw the organisation of an exhibition featuring architectural paintings, conception pictures, soil testing, field practicals, building designs and classroom sessions. The school campus was also enlivened by live music from a local dance group as the three graduating students prepared to defend their theses as from 2 pm. According to one of the students, Ndende Mbarga Victor, it is a moment of pride to be among the first set of locally-trained architects.