Proparco and Société Générale Cameroun have provided €30m, including a tranche in CFA francs, to Actis for the construction of Douala Grand Mall (DGM), Cameroon’s first destination retail mall.

Developed by Actis and local partner Craft Development, Douala Grand Mall will comprise a supermarket, 160 shops and boutiques, 22 restaurants and a cinema on 18,000 square metres of rental space.

DGM has been designed as a destination mall, meaning both a place of consumption and center of attraction.

It will open in September and will be the first major shopping center in Central Africa.

The mall is located in the immediate vicinity of the International Airport, in an urban area with 4 million inhabitants.

It will have a capacity to receive up to 300,000 visitors a month.

The construction of this shopping center will improve the city’s attractiveness, develop the surrounding areas and strengthen the fabric of the formal economy of the cameroonian capital

Douala Grand Mall is expected to create over 4,500 direct jobs, including 3,200 in the construction phase, with an expected 1,200 in the operating phase.

DGM is the first phase of a Business Park project that should eventually include a five-star hotel and offices.

It will help boost the development of a real center of attraction for Douala.

DGM’s stores should help improve the quality and traceability of products to ensure they comply with international requirements.

By offering products and services that meet high hygiene and quality standards and, in the longer term, contributing to structuring local food processing industries, DGM is actively involved in strengthening the fabric of Cameroon's formal economy. 

Actis has opted for an EDGE certification process, which will increase the energy efficiency of the shopping center. In addition, a wastewater treatment unit is being built in the complex and Actis has paid particular attention to local supply for the construction, by using 25% of local materials. 

The opening of DGM is contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals: #SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth, by creating over 3,500 direct and indirect jobs, #SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure, by developing unique facilities in Central Africa, #SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities, by developing facilities that meet high environmental standards (EDGE certification) and #SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production, by developing a business cluster to improve the city’s attractiveness and develop the surrounding areas.