THE INFLUENCE OF THE WEST ON THE ECONOMY OF CAMEROON: CASE STUD CDC RUBBER FACTORY IN THE TIKO SUBDIVISION

ABSTRACT

The Study is oriented towards the influence of the west on the economy of Cameroon This study is significant to Africa and Cameroon in particular; Cameroon is rich in natural resources such as oil, cocoa, coffee and most importantly rubber and stands as a major contributor to the word economy. Cameroon is known to be vibrant in the production of primary resources and weak in the secondary sector just like other African nations   which I attributes it to be as a result of western influenced

This study is also paramount to the society and particularly to the field of politics it will be revealing more insight on the outcomes and provide lasting solutions

This study attempt to show the extent of western influences on the economy of Cameroon, the mechanisms the west use to carry out their influences, at the tail end proposed solutions the study is limited to the staff of CDC rubber Factory and the youths of Tiko and Molyko-Buea and it will run from march to June, collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. However, the results of this study reveals that Western influences remains so visible on the economy of Cameroon about 82% of our respondents reveals that

Also this study is very promising to future researchers as the data and analysis this study would help them explore other capabilities in revealing western influence.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Politics is the authoritative allocation of values  in the  society (DavidEaston1963) values here refers to anything  people consider to be valuable  such gold ,diamond rubber the dependency school which first emerge in Spanish seeks to analyze the relationship between developed and  developing nations, it focuses on  the problem of foreign penetration in the  political economic of other nations, Specifically the economy of certain nations is believed to be conditioned by their relationship with other economy. Every sovereign n nation generally should own and control here economic, political and social sector. The progress of any state is determined by her economic sector. Africa, Asia and Latin America once were under colonial control of Europe and the United States. After the third wave of democratization and in dependence, Asia and part of Latin America have been viewed as making big progress in economic and social development. Meanwhile, in striking contrast, many African countries are still under the rule of authoritarian leader, even worse, functioning in anarchic chaos, which generates many social problems such as natural resource predation, the spread of HIV and other deadly diseases, famine, poverty, etc. Cameroon’s problems are unique, because no other continent that possesses so many valuable resources has ended up being so poor; no country has been colonized for so long and divided up by so many different European settlers. Recently there is a trend of political revolution around the Gulf area and North Africa fighting for democracy and freedom. Africa is clearly undergoing a major transformation, and it would be great if the growth and expansion of democratic governments paralleled by significant economic reforms and liberalization; however ,Africa is the only region of the world where poverty is expected to increase during coming years(Moose,1996,p.53).In history and reality, there are many factors that contribute to Cameroon’s current influence ,such as environmental conditions or historical and institutional factors (Rowntree, Lewis, Price, & Wyckoff, 2008,p.178),but I believe Western influence is one of the most important ones, which I will look into in this thesis. In addition to Western colonial influence that has been imposed upon Africa, the Western impact has not weakened at all even in the modern era. The West insists on the continuous lowering of the price of Africa’s raw materials and on the regular devaluation of Africa’s currencies; it always succeeds in this, and it also puts tariff barriers  against Africa’s manufactured goods(Chimutengwende, 1997, p. 31). Conservative estimates put the financial outflow from Africa to west about US$200 million per day  for every one dollar put into Africa, the west receives back four(Chimutengwende, 1997, p. 32). Meanwhile foreign aid and foreign direct investment are continuously flowing to Africa’s nation but things are not getting better as we speak. Even though there are millions of dollars that are supposed to help the poor to survive  poverty, famine, and diseases, and to provide children with health care, food, and education, people are at end still living the way they were, tortured by  low level of industrialization, unemployment, hunger, diseases, ignorance, and conflicts.

1.2 Statement of the problem.

After the independence of many African countries they found themselves essentially producers of primary commodities for export to the west just as they have been during the colonial era. Despite post-independence efforts,for have been able to diversify their economies well enough to create trade pattern significantly different from those of the colonial period. Thus today, most African nations trade primarily with western   and depend almost exclusively on the production of few cash crops for export. Cameroon gain her independence in 1961, and an independent Cameroon officially should own and control her resources which will help her plan and accelerate the wellbeing of her citizens, improve the living status of the general population. We should note that the economic sector determines the politics any nation. Cameroon is politically and socially independent; she is economically influence which could be trace back to history during the era of Colonialism. Know that Cameroon has a lot of economical products such as rubber which could be transform into finish goods and sell at high prices which will contribute greatly in boosting the economy internationally and domestically, unfortunately she is hindered by the west . Accessing the effects of western influence on the economy of   Cameroon,  I  will provide insights to investigate the influence of the west (colonialism, prices, foreign aid )on the economy of Cameroon what effects( poor growth rate, exploitation of raw materials due to lack of secondary mode of production, unemployment, corruption, political instability) and provide suggestions helping  to Cameroon minimize western influences.

In the field of education, culture, politics to name a few the west has greatly influence many African nations particularly Cameroon which has not been ignored by many researchers. This study will examine the many ways the west has influence the economy of Cameroon, reveal the outcomes   and provide suggestions that would help  combat or minimize western influence on the economy of Cameroon. `          

 General question

To what extend is the west influencing the economy of Cameroon?

Specific Questions

What are the mechanisms or channels they use to influence the economy of Cameroon?

What are the possible solutions?