Promoting historical and cultural heritage in Cameroon

In order to promote the country’s cultural diversity, Cameroon is seeking to develop an ambitious museum policy, which includes the highly symbolic plan to modernize the National Museum in Yaoundé. The National Museum was created in 1988 and is the largest museum in the country. It is housed in the former Presidential Palace and covers an area of 5000 m2. It is also the reference and resource center for all the other museums in Cameroon. After renovation, the museum reopened in 2015, and is seeing a rising number of visits. The objective of the project is to position this institution as a reference center for culture and cultural heritage in Cameroon and more broadly, in West and Central Africa.

AFD is supporting the Cameroon Ministry of Culture in its project to develop and preserve the cultural heritage of the National Museum. The project seeks to provide capacity building for the museum in managing, conserving, and promoting its museum collections. It will help showcase the museum pieces and works, strengthen programming, diversify the collections on display, and attract a broader public. It will also enable the National Museum to take on its “reference” role for other Cameroonian museums, to more closely align itself with international museum standards, and join cooperation networks for museums from various countries. The project to support the development of the National Museum has three main components:

• Renovation of the National Museum and the fitting out of its spaces 
• Improvement in the protection and showcasing of its collections 
• Development and implementation of a scientific and cultural policy, as part of a reinforced management plan.

• Enhancement of the historical and cultural heritage of Cameroon 
• Improved museum skills through the exchange of best practices and know-how between French and Cameroonian cultural players 
• Support for cultural development as a vector for growth and job creation, particularly in the cultural tourism sector