State of the Map 2023/Call for venues/Yaounde
State of the Map 2023 - Yaounde
Welcome to the bid proposal page for hosting the State of the Map conference 2023 in Yaounde.
SotM 2023 in Yaounde
Cameroon is described as "Africa in miniature", with reference to the fact that the country offers most of Africa's diversity from cultural (with French and English as its two official languages) to its diverse landscapes that represent the continent's major climatic zones. There are also over 258 ethnic groups which offer equally as many traditions as social diversities. This diversity makes Cameroon a mine of opportunities and Conference as this will create an impact on the local communities as well as Africa in general.
Yaounde, nicknamed "City of Seven Hills" is a city of mountainous relief; the political capital of Cameroon.
Yaounde is the seat of Cameroon's political government, which offers great flexibility in the interaction between the various institutions (authorizations, invitations, partnerships...) because most of their offices are located there. It has quality structures (conference rooms, hotels, hospitals and specialized centers, tourist sites) and adequate provisions (security of the premises, embassies) to welcome and ensure a harmonious stay to anyone coming from other countries. The city launched the opening ceremony of the Total CAN African cup of Nation 2021 and provided an all-round satisfaction to the public who came for the event.
Cameroon has successfully organized the SOTM Cameroon in 2017, and has actively participated in the organization of SOTM Africa 2019 in Grand Bassam. It is also the host of SOTM Africa 2023.
Who are the team?
The team consists of 12 members. The particularity with this team is that the different members come from several countries of the continent because we wish to have an inclusive event taking into account the aspects of gender and geographical representation. In fact, the idea in the choice of this committee is to show that it is all Africa that welcomes the world in Cameroon during this event in 2023. Thus beyond the Cameroonian representatives (4) we have members of Ivorian, Malagasy, Ugandan, Libyan, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Nigerian and Moroccan nationality.
In general, the members of this team are active in the OSM community in Africa and are also leaders at the local level in their communities.
This team has extensive experience in organizing large-scale conferences, whether face-to-face or online, as the new trend is towards hybrid conferences. Some of the events in which the members have participated include: the 4th African Space generation Workshop held in Ghana in 2021, State of the Map Africa held in Ivory Coast in 2019 and Understanding Risk conference held in Cameroon in 2019.
- Willy Franck SOB
- Marie Makuate
- Arielle Jeanine Kouma
- Yves Emmanuel NIKOYO
- Geoffrey Kateregga
- Yusuf Suleiman
- Fatiman Alher
- Guy Pacome
- Faneva Andriamiadantsoa
- Claire Halleux
- Fatima Eddaoudi
- Sharon Omoja
When?
We propose to hold the conference in December 2023:
- Friday to Monday 1-4 December
If our bid is accepted we would like to merge State of the Map Africa 2023 with State of the Map Global:
If there is a need to change the proposed dates to cater for a global audience, we are open to discussing this further
Where?
We propose to host the event at the Conference Hall of the City Hall of Yaounde; The conference room of the Yaounde City Hall has a regional and national reputation for hosting events. This versatile building can accommodate all types of professional meetings. It can accommodate a conference of over 1,000 people in the concert hall, using the other rooms for small groups, meetings and small catering areas.
Transportation
About 15 airlines fly to Cameroon. We have: Camair co, France-air, Ethiopian airline, Kenya airways, Turkish airline, Brussels airline, Rwandair, Air côte d'ivoire, Royal air Maroc, Transair Congo, Afrijet, Congo airways, Asky, Ajk, Ceiba international, cargolux, Cronos airlines. It is recommended to contact one of them to get the cost of a plane ticket from your destination to the city of Yaoundé in Cameroon.
We have two international airports in Cameroon, Nsimalen International Airport (Yaounde City, the political capital of Cameroon) and Douala International Airport (Douala City, the economic capital of Cameroon).
- From Nsimalen International Airport to the city, we will secure city cabs at Nsimalen International Airport.
- From the city of Douala to the city of Yaounde, we will secure road travel agencies that will ensure your transportation.
The Yango transport application is also available and very reliable.
In addition, to ensure the movement of participants, we plan to partner with a local transportation agency associated with the organization; we will also provide a vehicle that will ensure emergency transportation.
Accommodation
Yaounde provides very many options for accommodation, all close to the venue.
Hotel accommodation
Prices for hotels range from 30 USD to approximately 200 USD per night for a single room, depending on your budget
Community hosts
Members of OSM Cameroon community will offer to host some of the participants, especially the travel grant recipients, which is an opportunity to experience Cameroonian culture.
Airbnb / apartments
Airbnbs are available throughout the city starting from 25 USD per night for an apartments, and can also accommodating larger groups.
Miscellaneous
Visa details
The practical modalities for entering Cameroon are as follows:
- Visa-exempt foreign nationals: Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Haiti, Lesotho, Singapour, Mali;
- Nationalities subject to visa: citizens of all other nationalities can obtain their visa at the embassy
- Visas are only be issued by the Cameroon diplomatic and consular representations. No visas can be issued upon arrival in Cameroon. The participants who are citizens of countries requiring visas can submit a filled application form, passport photo and regular travel document with at least six months validity. Participants will be given invitation letters to help with the process
- The cost of the Cameroon visa is 125 Euro and it is valid from the date of arrival mentioned on your form for a period of 30 days.
- For any participant residing in a country where there is no Cameroonian embassy, it is recommended to send us a list of participants, 3 months in advance, so that we can declare it to the Cameroonian national security delegation, in order to enable them to obtain visas on arrival. This procedure is not exempt from the fees and documents required to obtain a visa, so please be sure to bring them with you.