Cameroon Media Trained in Solutions Journalism to Tackle Waste Crisis
In response to Cameroon's escalating waste management crisis, IHS Cameroon and BIOCAMER organized a training seminar for media professionals in Yaoundé on June 25, 2026. The event, held in conjunction with World Environment Day, focused on "Media Professionals Facing the Household Waste Crisis: Raising Awareness and Educating to Improve the Face of Our Cities." The core of the training was solutions journalism, presented as an editorial approach to address the growing waste problem. This methodology emphasizes not only reporting on environmental issues but also identifying, documenting, and promoting successful initiatives to encourage their replication.
Organizers believe journalists possess significant influence to shape individual and collective behavior. Through their work, they can highlight effective local practices, foster civic engagement, and prompt public authorities to implement solutions. The seminar covered three modules: understanding the waste crisis's scope, impacts (health, environmental, economic), and legal framework in Cameroon; educating on waste management and daily individual actions; and the central theme of solutions journalism. Participants were encouraged to move beyond problem-reporting to create content that inspires action.
Mathias Mouendé Ngamo of BIOCAMER stated that reporting only on the problem's scale is insufficient, and solutions journalism can showcase effective practices, motivate others, and push public authorities to improve their actions. He stressed that waste management is now a multifaceted issue involving public health, transport, urbanization, and governance, necessitating collective mobilization and media coverage focused on concrete solutions. Journalist Louisa Kinyuy found the emphasis on solutions journalism particularly valuable, seeing it as a way to move beyond highlighting failures and instead propose pathways for change and inspire public action, making it indispensable for sanitation issues.
The training initiative reflects a growing global trend in journalism to shift from solely problem-centric reporting towards a more constructive "solutions journalism" framework. This approach aims to leverage media's influence not just to expose societal challenges like waste management in Cameroon, but also to identify and amplify effective responses. By equipping journalists with tools to document and promote successful initiatives, the program seeks to foster a more engaged citizenry and hold public and private actors accountable for implementing sustainable solutions. This strategic pivot acknowledges the potential for media to drive positive behavioral change and policy improvements, particularly in complex, systemic issues that require multi-stakeholder collaboration and public buy-in. The long-term impact will depend on the sustained adoption of these practices by media outlets and their ability to foster a dialogue that moves beyond critique to actionable progress in improving urban environments.
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