There is good news. I certainly see signs of modernization and entrepreneurial spirit. Mobile phones are being used innovatively to make up for gaps in communications and banking infrastructure – e.g. sending money and avoiding the limited fixed-line capacity. If you have the money you can install satellite tv and the young population (50% of the roughly 17 million people are under 18 years old) are connected on facebook just like in Europe. The crumbling Bonaberi bridge and approach roads that link us with Douala across the Wouri estuary have been repaired for the first time in 50 years of independence. There is enough food for everyone so no one starves and the level of poverty in urban areas is said to be relatively low by African standards, at about 12%. Almost all primary school age children receive education and the country has huge reserves of natural resources to exploit.
On the other hand, the average life expectancy at birth is 46 and poor health hampers development. HIV/AIDS remains an issue, among other infectious diseases that should not be spreading or killing people in the 21st century. Rural poverty is a much greater issue (very visible in my family's village) and according to some estimates half the population live on less than $2 per day. Major infrastructure is missing and, as I saw in Kribi, planning for development is poor. No motorways exist and the two main cities are linked by a dangerous single track road. Internal air travel and trains are limited, making transport of goods slow and expensive, for example our beef comes from cows that travel by train from the north then walk 70k from Douala (having walked along way to the rail station in the first place) as there are limited facilities for refrigeration. Tourism – a potential source of income – is under-developed despite huge potential, while corruption is endemic, hampering business and reducing the value of local government expenditure and international aid.
So what to do? Locally we need better management of natural resources, more investment in human capital (health and education) and infrastructure and in particular the eradication of corruption. The developed world could help by writing off the debts it gave to the corrupt leaders it often supported, lowering trade barriers against Africa, ending subsidies to developed world farmers and reducing the threat of climate change by changing their own lifestyles.
Among people I've talk to here there is scepticism that the west has the political will to do all of this because of self-interest, so countries like Cameroon will have to help themselves. As a starting point stronger leadership across Africa at the highest levels is needed to end the dependency culture that has grown through the time of slavery, colonialism and post-independence aid.
