According to Ghislaine, her interest to provide adequate housing for the Cameroonian population made her venture into ecological construction. As is the situation in most African communities, the real estate debate in Cameroon was mostly focused on social housing rather than sustainable cities.

With her company, Ghislaine aims at building houses with a low environmental impact while ensuring the comfort of the residents. Therefore, she chose Specialised Earth Brick (SEB) as her main material- as it requires few resources to manufacture.

The Specialised Earth Brick (SEB) is made from soil, a little water, and a little cement to solidify the earth. As an alternative building material, the SEB eliminates the need for plaster and paint because the house’s rendering is attractive at the end of the construction process. This solution, according to Ghislaine, contributes greatly to saving resources and energy efficiency in buildings.

In addition, the company uses double glazing, recycled plastic tiles, and ceiling insulation. The ceiling insulation helps to limit heat transfer and thus eliminates the need for air conditioners.

Green building construction is now popular in Cameroon. To make this type of housing more accessible to the general public, Immobilier Millenium S.A has marketed various green projects- from design to delivery.

Aside from her commitment to sustainable development, Ghislaine Tessa Ketcha works for more exposure for women working in construction. In this regard, she founded the Women in Building Construction Association- to eliminate stereotypes about this field, which are often attributed to men.

Ghislaine Tessa Ketcha has won numerous prizes for her commitment to ecological construction. Her company earned the EDGE badge from the World Bank for its contribution to helping conserve natural resources. In 2021, she was also honored with the ‘Women of the Planet’ Award at the 5th ESTP Feminine Trophies.

REFERENCE

Information from www.africanwomenexperts.com  was used in this report