Intense imbroglios: Experiences in Cameroon

Dr. Verina Ingram

Key note speech

Book launch - Peter Tse Angwafo - Cameroon's predicaments

21 November 2014, ASC, Leiden,

The Netherlands

A walk and talk...

touching on

governance, development, poverty, and waiting in Cameroon

Cameroon

Africa in miniature Population 19.5-22 million Lower middle income country High forest cover (67%) Stable democracy Real GDP growth est. 5.1% in 2014 - rising oil output and public investment

Where?

German

British Cameroons French

United Republic of Cameroon 2 June 1972 -

date

Problems Youth 40% population >14 44% population >$2 day 75% workforce underemployed, >5% formally

employed Average life expectancy 55 Lower middle income 52% rural population access to improved water Dependence on natural resources (oil, timber,

cocoa beans, aluminium, coffee and cotton) Structural and policy weaknesses expected to

prevent faster growth Ranked 146th/180 on corruption Governance ranking in Africa 25th/ 48 Gini inequality measure 44th/182 168th/183 ease of doing business Increasing annual rates degradation & deforestation

0.03% and 0.07%

( See Ingram 2014 for full sources)

But....

• Movements towards prosperity

World Bank 2014

Angwafo: “political and economic elites control the wealth of the nation

at the expense of a majority who wallow in abject poverty and misery”.

• Mirrors global debates

on trends in rising wealth inequality, with rises in the share of total income going to the very highest earners

Governance.... Way a society organises its self

• Rules of the game (formal & informal)

• Boundaries

• Umpires

• Supporters

• Winners and losers

Government

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Republic Federal Republic United Republic

Ahmadou Ahidjo Paul Biya

1 1991-1995 UN Public Administration Country Profile2004

Angwafo: “corruption as the main

instrument of governance”

A tale of trees, old men’s

problems, money, and

governance

Despite laws, international

conventions & projects,

strong customary rule,

Overcome by corruption and

the mix of governance

arrangements

Also due to high value &

demand

Result: Unsustainable, good

chop for a few, no chop for

many

New laws +

Strong customs, collective action,

market-based governance

High value product & growing

demand

Sustainable

Angwafo: “Faced with the difficult economic and political

situation, most youth and the intelligentsia...travel to

affluent Western countries, the consequences

notwithstanding. Brain drain is often the outcome”.

Creative entrepreneurs

Committed elites

Engaging bricoleurs!

Ineffective laws & customs Strong union governance High corruption High value & demand Not sustainable

nkukuma big man

and

waithood syndrome

Guyer 1993, Hydén, Göran. 2006. African politics in comparative perspective: Cambridge Univ PressDaloz, Jean-Pascal. 2003. " Big Men" in Sub-Saharan Africa: How Elites Accumulate Positions

and Resources. International Studies In Sociology And Social Anthropology:271-285., Takougang, Joseph. 2003. The 2002 legislative election in Cameroon: A retrospective on Cameroon's stalled

democracy movement. The Journal of Modern African Studies 41 (03):421-435.

Reflections

Ayitte 1999, Bloom 1998, Brautigam 2009, Collier 2007, Crawford & Hartmann 2008, Dietz 2011, Fields & Pfeffermann 2003, Moyo 2009, Sachs et al. 2004

y

Thank you!

verina.ingram@wur.nl