Marcelline Blanche Manjia

A Decision Support Tool for Cost Mastering in Urban Self-Construction: The Case of Cameroon

The critical housing shortage in cities of the developing countries like Cameroon generates an ever-growing desire to increase housing supply. The main group of actors in this domain are by and large the formal sector, while the informal sector is still inactive. Because of the legalities and costs associated with the formalities surrounding the provi- sion of formal housing, the majority of urban residents are bypassed by the formal housing policies. The only alternative for them is thus self-construction. This mode of housing provision, although difficult, has become a dominant mode of providing housing within the construction sector of the developing countries. Consequently, this mode of housing provi- sion now features in mainstream specialised literature, with an aim to promote the sector. Furthermore, several techniques of mastering self construction costs have been elaborated. However, given the complexity of abundant (albeit unqualified) labour, there is still a case for further research in the self-construction forms of housing, especially in terms of their adapt- ability. The sector is criticised for being characterised by unclear cost accounting methods, as well as the ubiquitous be- low-par management techniques which themselves lead to delays in the completion of such housing projects. In light of the foregoing exposition, the article presents a method of estimating labour costs based on a developed matrix model. Through the introduction of the finite dimensional vector space made up of the standard tasks, the model draws up a direct relationship between the quantity of work and the labour cost. The illustration of this new approach, through a case study shows that it is possible to reduce the labour cost of up to 37%, compared to the simple matrix method as examined by other researchers. The Developed Matrix Approach (MASTA) based on standard tasks thus constitute a decision-making tool that is not only for optimisation of productivity but also a symbol of good management

Vers une nouvelle approche décisionnelle

The construction projects in developing countries (DC) are confronted with problem of cost overrun. The lack of cost estimating techniques and the bad practice of management are the most dominating causes (Louzolo, 2006, p. 15). The difficulties encountered to predict and control costs by current methods with poor accuracy constitute today a great concern of the researchers who invest themselves to develop new estimating techniques, based on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) or on Artificial Neurons Networks (ANN). This article presents the combination of those two models to predict the civil constructions cost in Cameroon. A data base made up of seventeen (17) new constructions projects that we controlled between 2000 and 2005 was done. The combination of two modelling approaches, MLR and ANN, constitute a Decision-support tool for construction cost prediction and mastering in DC.

The geographical accessibility as a key access parameter to health care in Cameroon: modelling, measurement and evaluation

Abstract Equal access to social infrastructure in general and access to health care in particular is at the centre of concerns in terms of spatial planning in each state. Obviously, the public health policy in most developing countries including Cameroon is strongly based on health care which does not allow at the present day an effective management health care supply. This situation, which results in unequal access to health care, is partially due to the lack of relevant information on the real needs of patients, in particular, the geographical accessibility to health infrastructures. The present study proposes a methodological approach to assessing spatial accessibility to health care. The application was based on digital data from the city of Yaoundé. The results obtained in the form of access times to various health centres show disparities in physical access to health care centres in Yaoundé city, which is important to take into account in decision-making.

Building Construction Practices in Developing Countries

In this chapter, an overview of construction practices in developing countries will be examined. Although, practices from developing countries will be covered, the focus will be on Cameroon. The chapter commences with an overall background where challenges facing construction practices are discussed. Then an overview of the geography of Cameroon is presented. The two main sectors, the formal and informal where construction flourishes are discussed. The major risk factors and challenges related to materials, man-power and site management are also examined. Towards the end of the chapter the growing recognition of the informal sector is acknowledged as the future trends in most developing countries.