Beyond the hardship, a ray of hope for Cameroon

Written by The Standard Tribune

Monday, 12 April 2010 14:50

There has been plenty of bad news. Last year, the economy almost came to a standstill, mainly as a result of the global financial crisis. Thousands of jobs promised by the mining sector and major infrastructure works were frozen. Poverty deepened. Even though civil servants had just received a pay-raise, inflation made the 15% addition senseless. The problems that led to the riots of February 2008 persisted. On the human rights front, Cameroon did not do better than in previous years. Amnesty International pointed out a wide range of abuses and watchdog groups warned that suppression of the media was worsening. In spite of operation sparrow hawks, corruption remained widespread. With respect to almost every parameter, Cameroon remained one of the worst places on earth to do business. Most of these problems persited through the first quarter of 2010.

But that is as bad as it got. Beyond the gloomy postings, the country appears to be picking up slowly and one can dare predict a bright future. Last week, the country launched its first pharmaceutical plant to produce anti-retroviral drugs. Shortly before, a plan to build a bus assembly plant In Cameroon was announced. A US company has just sealed a deal to run a caterpillar rental service in Douala. With cocoa prices now at their all time best in recent years, efforts are being made to increase the country’s output of the crop widely grown by farm families around the country. Mining companies have also announced new plans to begin production and with more and more exploration licenses being issued, petroleum production could soon begin rising again. Huge investments are also planned in the energy sector. All of these come with the promise of thousands of jobs and training opportunities. Right now, the central bank believes that growth could more than double last year’s dismal posting by the close of the year. If everything works well, things can only get better.

A line in the national anthem refers to Cameroon as a land of promise. This has never been truer at any other time in our history than now. Incidentally, this is becoming visible at a time the country is turning 50 (or 49 depending on where you are in Cameroon). That leaves us with the possibility of starting anew. And that is the hard part. This will require bold decision-taking, not only the wishful thinking and empty talk that has governed us this far. Many experts agree that moving forward will be propelled mainly by a return to true development planning, complete with targets and timelines. It will also require more seriousness in curbing corruption and dismantling red-tape, which have been blamed for low investment. For many years, development has been used as a political tool. We believe that has to stop. The strategic interest of the state must rise above political or ethnics consideration. That’s not a choice.