File:Near_BEAC,_Bafoussam.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Bafoussam
Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region of Cameroon, in the Bamboutos Mountains. It is the 3rd most important (financially) city in Cameroon, after Yaoundé and Douala. The communauté urbaine (Urban Community) of Bafoussam, is a decentralized territorial collectivity. Originally called Urban Commune of Bafoussam, the communauté urbaine (Urban Community) of Bafoussam, was born after the Presidential Decree N ° 2008/022 of January 17, 2008 and composed of three communes, namely: the Commune of Bafoussam I (Bafoussam proper), the Commune of Bafoussam II (Baleng) and the Commun
Weather now
cached 18h ago15°overcast clouds
96% 1.0 m/s OpenWeatherMap
7-day forecast
via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- Bafoussam
- Region
- Ouest
- Country
- Cameroun
- Population
- 373,268
- Timezone
Travel guide
Understand
Bafoussam isn't the most clean, picturesque, or polite city in Cameroon, but because of Cameroon's hierarchical organization, it has a central location in the Grand West. It is a major hub for Bamiléké culture, especially French Bamiléké culture.
Get in
Bafoussam is located at the intersection of roads going to Douala, Yaoundé, Bamenda, and Foumban (and from there, the West Adamawa), and the road to Dschang is only a short ways away.
Get around
All within-Bafoussam travel is provided by taxis or moto-taxis. Most destinations will tell you "what to say" to a taxi. Taxis are cheap; you can get halfway across Bafoussam for 100 FCFA.
"Downtown" Bafoussam is located at the Rond Point Biao, or Marché A. From here there are the three roads, one going north (to carrefour Dschang and Bamenda; cars at Marché B), one going south (which forks into a road going to Bafang, Melong, and Douala, and another going to Bangangte, Bafia, and Yaoundé; cars at the Gare Routière), and one going west (which passes through Foumbot and Foumban before making its way into the West Adamawa; cars available at Carrefour Total).
Buy
There are two major supermarchés in Bafoussam: Le Point Plus, located at Rond Point Biao, and Sim-Delices, located on the south side of Bafoussam (tell a taxi Sim-Delices; it's across from the PMUC building). Marchés A and B are mostly unremarkable, with your normal collection of local groceries, Chinese-imported goods, and African fabric.
Eat
Like most Cameroonian cities, there are vendors walking around selling munchies like peanuts ("ground nuts"), slices of coconut, beignets, or cookies. There are also some vendors with "carts" selling fresh fruit like slices of pineapple or papaya. Keep an eye out for spaghetti omelette carts (visible because of their stack of egg crates). They're cheap (500 FCFA for three eggs and spaghetti in bread) and nutritious.
If none of those options appeal to you, you can also check out the supermarkets/bakeries, which sometimes have "sandwiches" or other pre-made food. In particular the Boulangerie du Peuple has a pretty good (no-cheese, no-meat) "pizza" for 400 FCFA per "slice". Sim-Delice sells both bread and cold cuts and you can ask them to assemble the two if you like.
~11 min read
Article
15 sectionsContents
- History
- Name
- Birth of Bafoussam city
- Geography
- Topography
- Climate
- Waterfalls
- Education
- Notable High Schools
- Tertiary Education
- Demographics
- Rites & celebrations
- Twin towns - Sister cities
- Notable people
- References
Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region of Cameroon, in the Bamboutos Mountains. It is the 3rd most important (financially) city in Cameroon, after Yaoundé and Douala. The communauté urbaine (Urban Community) of Bafoussam, is a decentralized territorial collectivity. Originally called Urban Commune of Bafoussam, the communauté urbaine (Urban Community) of Bafoussam, was born after the Presidential Decree N ° 2008/022 of January 17, 2008 and composed of three communes, namely: the Commune of Bafoussam I (Bafoussam proper), the Commune of Bafoussam II (Baleng) and the Commune of Bafoussam III (Bamougoum). thumb|Chiefdom entrance in West Cameroon The city had an urban population of 347,517 inhabitants (at the 2008 Census). Bafoussam is the West Region centre of trade, and people are farming coffee, potatoes, maize and beans. The city has also a coffee processing facility and brewery. It is the main city of the Bamiléké people and is home to the Bafoussam chief's palace. Bafoussam is a group composed of 07 villages (Bamendzi, Banengo, Ndiangdam, Ndiangsouoh, Ndiangbou, Toukouop, Ngoueng, and Banengo city B) with 46 districts or sub-villages. The main neighborhoods of the city are Banengo, Djeleng, Famla (also called Akwa), Kamkop, Quartier Eveché, Quartier Haussa and Tamdja.
Bafoussam has two main markets (Marché A and Marché B), several internet cafés, restaurants and supermarkets, and a movie theater. Most of Bafoussam nightlife centers on the area called Akwa (so-named in honor of the neighborhood in Douala). Akwa features several bars, stores, and a live music venue, along with customary vendors of Soya (barbecue beef meat brochettes), Poisson braisé (barbecue fish) and other foods.
Gallery (34)
On the map
5 mapped locations