Cameroon

"Cameroon is whimsically named after the Rio dos CamarÐ"µes, of River of Prawns, the name given to the Wouri River estuary by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century." ("Into Africa" 202) Cameroon is a less developed country seeking to improve its situation, with the aid of western nations and by reducing poverty and unemployment rates which are extremely high. Cameroon is a former French and British colony and the country merged in 1961, to later form the present country. The country got renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 then the Republic of Cameroon in 1984. The nation has generally had stability, which permitted development of agriculture, roads, petroleum industry, and railways. There is a slow movement toward democratic reform, but political power firmly remains in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy. Power lies firmly in the hands of the president, Paul Biya, and his Cameroon People's Democratic movement party, and the corruption is widespread. Cameroon is a small example of Africa itself; it needs a lot of help to improve the situation it has sunk into, that's why it is known as "Africa in miniature." Just like Africa, the main issue to be solved is also economy, which also includes poverty, unemployment and violence.

President Ahidjo was the first real president of the Republic of Cameroon, not one of the best though. Ahidjo inherited a smoldering civil war against supporters of the more radical party, the UPC (History of Cameroon). The government brutally and gradually beat the more radical party, UPC. The state of emergency in Cameroon becomes a long term and easy way for Ahidjo to establish a repressive dictatorship (History of Cameroon). He is able to continue his rule for a period of twenty two years in a row. Ahidjo then handed over the presidency peacefully in 1982 to a successor that he chose, Paul Biya. The beginning of Paul Biya's rule was very peaceful at the start, although the calm proves short-lived, because people found out that he planned to rule through his leadership of the only party, the UNC. Paul Biya and Ahidjo had a power struggle for about two years, even though Ahidjo is actually in exile in Senegal. "It ends with an uprising by the Republican Guard in 1984 in favor of Ahidjo. When this fails, Biya is in undisputed control." (History of Cameroon) By the early 1990s there was a pressure for constitutional change, which led to elections in 1992, which are won by Biya. In the 1990s, there were two main issues that dominated Cameroon's politics. One is a long running constitutional dispute between the English speakers and the French speaking majority. (History of Cameroon) Internationally, Cameroon and Nigeria are engaged in a long dispute over rights in the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula. "There are occasional armed encounters on the ground while the issue is considered by the International Court of Justice." (History of Cameroon)

"Cameroon has a rich and diversified commodity-based economy. Agriculture was the sole engine of growth and foreign-exchange earnings until the late 1970s when oil became the primary engine of growth." (Cameroon Ð'- Economy) Cameroon has one of the best endowed primary economies in sub-Saharan Africa, because of its modest oil resources and favorable agriculture conditions. "Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs." (CIA World Fact book) Cameroon is the most important market in the CommunautÐ"© Ð"©conomique et monetaire de L'Afrique centrale (CEMAC), accounting for nearly half of the GDP. The agriculture is very rich and varied, but unfortunately it is largely unexploited. "Nevertheless, with only 13 per cent of land in Cameroon classified as arable, food