Yaounde’s military footwear factory has reached 60% completion, Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said during an inspection visit to the construction site on May 28.

The facility, known as the Central Master Shoemaker Workshop, is being built at the Joint Services Technical Training Centre (CFTA) in Ekounou, Yaounde, and will produce shoes, boots and other footwear for Cameroon’s defence and security forces.

The minister was accompanied by the Secretary of State in charge of the National Gendarmerie, senior military officers and defence officials. During the visit, project architects and technical managers presented progress reports on the works and the architectural design of the facility, which is being built by Visa Longchamp SARL.

Built on a site of about 1,730 square metres within the CFTA complex, the workshop is located near the military tailoring factory commissioned under an earlier phase of the country’s defence industrial development programme. The site sits between the centre’s mortuary and football stadium and is positioned about 10 metres from the tailoring facility.

Project manager Elie Martial Chokouaha said construction works were expected to be completed within five months, with structural works currently 60% complete.

The factory will comprise a production building covering approximately 4,850 square metres, including a 54-square-metre entrance hall, a 34-square-metre showroom, office space, sanitary facilities, changing rooms, maintenance areas, storage units and a dedicated production section.

According to project managers, the structure will be roofed with galvanised steel sheets, while administrative areas will be tiled and external spaces paved and fitted with drainage infrastructure to facilitate water evacuation.

Once operational, the workshop is expected to serve as a central production unit supplying footwear to Cameroon’s defence and security services. Officials said the facility would help strengthen the reliability of military supply chains while supporting the development of local industrial capabilities.

The project follows the commissioning of a military uniform production factory and is part of a broader programme that also includes plans for an ammunition factory and an armoured vehicle assembly unit. Authorities say the initiative is intended to strengthen logistical autonomy for national security operations while supporting local technical expertise and industrial activity.

The inspection concluded with a tour of the site and discussions between the minister and project engineers on construction progress and delivery timelines.

Source: Sbbc