Sustainability Safeguards: Why The Offer Of Rolling Stock, Equipment Matters

sustainability is a recurrent hiccup with development projects. About how to ensure continuity in the impact or dividends of a project. Given that projects are there only for specific timeframes. Though this concern is often factored into the conception of most projects, the eventual reality tends to be different. At times, entirely different! Probably because of poor planning. The means to assure post-project sustainability was not made available. Or such means was insufficient to make any meaningful impact.

Continuity, Sustainability  
Barring any force majeure, this will not be the case with the Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend in Sub-Saharan Africa, SWEDD project in Cameroon. SWEDD and United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA authorities – in conjunction with Alamine Ousmane Mey, the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT - on May 15, 2025 in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde - made an important gesture. 
Handing over scores of rolling stock and equipment to the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education and the Ministry of Public Health. To assure the continuity and sustainability of project activities – as SWEDD’s second phase in Cameroon, which began in 2021 - comes to an end. Minister Ousmane Mey is the Cameroon Chair of SWEDD Project Steering Committee.

Rolling Stock, Equipment 
With the goal to accelerate demographic transition, trigger the demographic dividend, and reduce gender inequality in Cameroon, the SWEDD donation comprised 12 mobile clinic vans, four refrigerated trucks, three ambulances, three platform trucks, and five forklifts, UNFPA Cameroon Resident Representative, Dr. Justin Koffi, disclosed. The rolling stock and equipment were financed by a World Bank loan. 

Equipped For Education
SWEDD project in Cameroon similarly carried out a number of activities, including the distribution of 32,000 school kits with solar school bags, 3,000 menstrual hygiene kits, 3,000 literacy kits, and 1,040 bicycles. As well as the provision of training materials to 67 adolescent reproductive health units, 165 vocational training centres, 16 midwifery schools and local officials of several ministries, Dr Koffi added.

Over 700,000 Beneficiaries  
“One of the main pillars of Cameroon’s national development strategy is the development of human capital – the socio-economic upliftment of the vulnerable, particularly women and girls. The support of the World Bank thus enabled the project to keep girls in school, empower them economically, protect against ea...