![]() ![]() The three regions have intense trade with neighbouring countries (CAR, the Republic of the Congo, and Chad). Companies active in the areas of forestry, mining, and agriculture support the local economy. The World Bank estimates that, without the crisis, a growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of 4.5 per cent in 2019 would have been recorded, instead of the 3.8 per cent registered that year.7Įconomic activities in the East, Adamawa, and North regions focus on trade, livestock, mining, agriculture, handicrafts, and forestry. This decline of a major agro-industrial business brought about the collapse of an entire ecosystem of subcontractors who depended on the CDC to stay operational.6 The CDC experienced a steep decline in its operations and revenues since the onset of the crisis. Farmers working for the CDC were forced to abandon palm oil, rubber, and banana plantations. The crisis provoked the collapse of Cameroon’s second largest employer, the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), which employed over 15,700 people including seasonal workers prior to the crisis. Violence, regular lockdowns and closure of roads continue to impact local economies. Prior to the crisis, the South-West managed to cut down its poverty level by more than half while the North-West struggled to reduce its poverty rate and diversify its economy.5 While agriculture remains the largest employment sector across the two regions, employing 47 per cent and 44 per cent of workers in the NorthWest and South-West respectively, larger cash crop plantations are mostly located in the South-West while the North-West mainly relies on small-scale farming. There are notable differences in the economic make-up of the North-West and the South-West. The North-West and South-West regions make a significant contribution to the national economy, especially with regards to the production and export of cash crops. In Logone Birni, 43 per cent of young people between 15 and 24 years do not go to school nor work.4 A significant proportion of the population in rural areas is still illiterate, hampering their access to information and opportunities to improve their living conditions and increasing their vulnerability, thereby heightening the risk of being left behind.3 In the Far North region, particularly in the Lake Chad basin area, the economic context is marked by poverty the lack of access to, and sustainable management of, natural resources limited income-generating and market opportunities as well as a drastic reduction in agriculture/livestock production and touristic activities due to prevalent insecurity. Persistent gender inequalities and socio-cultural constraints, exacerbated by the humanitarian crises, limit women’s and youth’s access to basic social services and opportunities. The agriculture sector dominates the economy, employing 62 per cent of the labour force, 80 per cent of whom are women. ![]() Ninety per cent of the labour market in Cameroon is informal, and most of the working-age population is self-employed. ![]() An estimated 37.5 per cent of the country’s population lives below the poverty line,2 with that figure rising above 70 per cent in some regions. Although there has been some economic progress, poverty remains a significant problem. Political, socio-cultural, demographic, and economic profilesĬameroon ranks 151 out of 191 countries as per the 2021/2022 Human Development Index. This is leading to an increase in negative coping mechanisms, including child labor, child marriage and survival sex. The prolonged nature of these crises, new and repeated displacement, and insufficient humanitarian assistance are eroding people’s already limited resilience. The number of people in need in Cameroon continues to grow due to the impact of conflict and insecurity, epidemics as well as climate-related effects, such as floods and droughts. Humanitarian needs are compounded by structural development weaknesses and chronic vulnerabilities that further challenge the long-term recovery of affected people. More than 3.2 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity in 2023.1 There are over two million people on the move as internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, or refugees. In 2023, one out of six people living in Cameroon needs humanitarian assistance and protection, a total of 4.7 million people. Nine out of ten regions of Cameroon continue to be impacted by three complex humanitarian crises: the Lake Chad basin conflict, the North-West and SouthWest (NWSW) crisis and the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee crisis. ![]()
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