Cameroon, a sleeping lion Cameroon, a sleeping lion

Featuring a remarkable human and natural potential, Cameroon is yet standing still in economic and social. Involved, the lack of infrastructure and elite supporters of the status quo. The Cameroon
dozing. Here is a country which has a number of unusual strength, with a population of generally well-educated 20 million inhabitants and agricultural wealth as well - he is often called the "breadbasket of Africa Central - than mining or petroleum. Diversified its economy is no less inert. Inert
growth?: With an average annual improvement of its gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.1% between 2004 and 2008, Cameroon is not only lagging behind the region but also the entire sub-Saharan Africa, which was above 6% per annum over the same period. This trampling is even more surprising that it came at a time when the world knew an economic boom.
Inert improving living conditions of Cameroonians, given a population growth of almost 2% per annum, which devours the poor progress of growth?: World Bank estimates, 40% people are poor, with incomes of less $ 2 per day, and this rate does not move much, so that the cancellation of debt in 2006 would have allowed to defer the fiscal effort to the fight against poverty. City dwellers a little richer, but rural people have their living standards deteriorate, particularly in the north. One third of children in Cameroon are considered chronically malnourished.
The reasons for this are not macro-economic torpor. Indeed, debt and the deficit state budget are reasonable, inflation is below the target of 3% per year (+ 0.4% in the first half of 2010 by the National Institute of Statistics) , the deficit of trade balance does not worry.

Should we blame the infrastructure of a country unworthy of such importance, as suggested by an investment rate of 17% when it is 25% in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)? This is part of the diagnosis made by the plan "Vision 2035" and the Strategy Paper for Growth and Jobs (GESP) 2010-2020, who aim to propel the country into the category of emerging economies and to reduce poverty by 10% thanks to a double-digit growth. Third hydroelectric potential of the continent behind the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, Cameroon has as many power cuts that other countries worse off by nature?: Hydraulic power installed is 721 megawatts (MW), it could reach 12? 000 MW.
Public transport slow and expensive
Its roads are among the worst in Africa and there are 1.2 km of paved road per thousand inhabitants, when the rate is 2.4 km in the subregion. No wonder the cost of transporting a ton kilometer are either $ 0.13, while does not exceed 0.005 dollars in southern Africa. "The transportation of goods between Douala and N'Djamena costs six times as much between Shanghai and the port of Douala. It also lasts twice as long?: Sixty days, against thirty, "lamented the former president of the Business Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC), Anicet Georges Dologuélé.
In a study published in January in Yaounde, entitled "Time for the lion to wake up? "World Bank confirms that severe disability. It says that Cameroon's economy would benefit from growth in GDP per capita by 4.5 percentage points above its current rate if its roads and ports, its electricity and telecommunications were made at those of Mauritius.
The "Vision 2035" and therefore provide GESP build in the coming years a series of bridges, roads, dams (Lom and Pangar Memve'ele) of thermal (Douala, Kribi) of deepwater ports (Kribi, Limbe) and railways.
Why not be yoked them earlier? "First, because the economic crisis of 1994 prevented the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to exercise economic sovereignty, lack of resources, "says Issa Tchiroma Bakari, communication minister and government spokesman, who also blames' elites who would not understand the economy rules World, that is to say that our products should be changed to escape the dictatorship of stateless entities that cause fluctuations in the prices of raw materials, we have continued to export crude. "Corruption continues
By distorting the playing social and economic corruption has also played a negative role. Certainly, Cameroon ceased to be perceived as the most corrupt country in the world, according to the criteria of the NGO Transparency International. Certainly, under the leadership of new General Delegate for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele, police began to no longer behave in predatory motorists, "taxed" far from arbitrary.

But we must always make a contribution of some 150? 000 CFA (about 228 euros) to register her child in a "good" public school, called free. New Ways
Association showed that trucks coming out of the Cameroon Society deposits Petroleum (PICS) exchange in small garages part of their cargo of fuel for kerosene, cheaper but formidable engines. School buildings are completed said, while there is only the hole to their foundations.
"If the delegate general security has dared to do his job in reforming the police behavior is that feasible?! Nzeusseu exclaimed Leopold, executive director of Transparency International Cameroon. Suppose the director of customs and taxes that do the same ... But for now, the improvements are hardly noticeable. The operations corruption "Hawk" [after the wide dragnet between 2004 and 2006, Ed] from catching two or three guilty a year, and some believe that this severity is selective only politically motivated. Five years ago a law requiring officials and politicians to declare their assets upon taking office remains unapplied?: Implementing decrees have still not been published. For two years we expect the law to protect whistleblowers of corruption, etc.. "
The IMF and World Bank ritually denounce" an environment unfriendly to business. " Distrust of government omnipotent vis-à-vis private enterprise in Cameroon is being 168th out of 183 in the report "Doing Business 2011 from the World Bank, which ranks countries according to ease to do business there. Poor governance
must say that Cameroon is poor governance. When comice Agro held in Ebolowa of 17 to 22 January, President Paul Biya was surprised that his country had imported in 2009 to 500 billion CFA francs of wheat, rice and fish. Evaluating the policies pursued in agriculture, he acknowledged?: "If undeniable results were obtained in some areas, the overall impression is of a too large dispersion and a certain lack of coherence. "To say that this finding can be extended to the entire policy.
Capital budgets are achieved only 50% or 60%, both projects are ill-prepared. He Lom Dam Pangar sleeping in cardboard boxes for twenty years and is still blocked because the Cameroonian authorities have not responded to requests for clarification regarding the World Bank Environmental them addressed.
The inconsistency noted by the head of the state ends up in duplication of future deep-water ports of Kribi and Limbe, which, in addition, will be in competition with similar projects in Nigeria and Sao Tome . All donors deem unrealistic budget announcement that will be provided by 2020 of all road access to rural areas. Sharing the pie among the different clans National (230 races), between the followers of different religions, between North and South, between Anglophones and Francophones is the balancing and block all innovation.
"There exists in our country a big gap between the dynamism of private individuals who are active in their pursuit of knowledge and well-being and severity of the sphere of collective governance burden on society," says Alain Didier Olinga, lecturer in law at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) and author of Remarks on inertia. Conservatism
excessive
"For us, something that can be done in a month takes two years," he said. Indeed, the system hesitates constantly because the players are not sure to be beneficiaries of mutations that are necessary and they decide reforms in small doses. Solidarity between the different poles of power ensures the preservation of their benefits and makes them overlook criminal acts. This excessive conservatism does not change. If the president really wanted reform, he would organize a council of ministers each week instead of twice a year. He does not know all the members of his government ... "This
inertia and oligopolies that it preserves a cost. It took eight months between the time when Paul Biya ordered his Minister of Finance assign credits to the public body responsible for the fight against corruption, Conac, and the day when it was disposed of. Two operators, Orange and MTN, the market share of mobile phones and provide poor service at exorbitant prices. The Ministry of Higher Education does not speak to the Ministry of Basic Education, which ignores the Youth. That record is delayed because an investment adviser to the competent minister has an interest in what the research firm, which he also owns, uses a contract as long as possible on the project.
"Living together is that we remain folded in on ourselves and we do not transgress the barriers that prevent us from building a true nation, Olivier analysis Behl, president of the Groupement interpatronal Cameroon (GICAM). We emerge from the dilution of resources and irresponsibility when a sufficient number of Cameroonians want to end the paralysis that results. We must get to the center of private enterprise. Everything goes through her, because she is the only one able to give jobs to millions of young people entering the labor market. But private enterprise is destabilizing, because to be effective, it must end the recruitment on an ethnic basis and with contracts awarded for the sake of proximity. Think of Cameroon, Central African feel. And let's stop talking and to cut hairs. Act. "Despite the delays
predictable, the projects announced, the opening of mines, agricultural projects should eventually accelerate growth in the coming years. Another sign of unprecedented political will extend beyond the scope of incantations, the State has issued the first bonds at a rate of 5.6% to $ 200 billion F CFA (about 305 million euros) , to finance part of the great work and cover the budget deficit. To everyone's surprise, this issue was fully subscribed in December 2010, evidence that confidence is not entirely lacking.
But the main hope for change lies in the new generations. "Half of our population is under 24 years, said Olivier Behl. It communicates a lot faster than us and it is urban?, Even if our education system is unstructured, the cultural level of these young stands. They will no longer be governed as before. "More
as before?! The Cameroon in dreams ... while fearing to lose its delicate balance and fantasizing about the situation in Côte d'Ivoire and Tunisia. In the absence of any organized opposition, the transition to the future and Liberation of Cameroonian energies will they type explosive or process will reach there to be controlled and progressive? That is the question that torments a young nation.
Jeune Afrique