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will is being influenced. In Cameroon, there are many
actions that could be taken by governments to solve
the problem of unemployment and poverty but
government’s will is under constant influence, which
stretched across ethnic and political sentiments. If we feel
the truth and we desire to change we will adjust our
lifestyles and move them from a mentality based on
possession to a mentality based on necessity. For
others to take their fill before we all refill again.
Other small actions that can be taken at
present like reducing the number of police and
gendarme checkpoints on our high ways, using the
tariffs road users pay to maintain and repair our
roads, especially as they assist in our economic
Growth, are not taken seriously. Our roads are really
reflecting the state of our economy. When roads are
bad economic performance will be poor. The
coordination of our development efforts will go a long
way to assist in solving part of the crime,
prostitution, corruption, embezzlement and poverty
problems. Any nation can function effectively when the
government wants it to. Lets break from the bondage of
–exploit the little you have for the brief time you
have it.
With the omission of genuine political it
will be impossible for government to move forward in a
very positive way. Lets take Cameroon once more as an
example, This country has been benefiting from loans
and grants from French, British, Chinese Japanese, and
Brazilian partners but the population is yet to feel
the presence of these loans and grants considering
that the poverty level of the population is not
changing. The same applies for European Union and its
counterpart’s funds, which are intended to finance
development projects. One is tempted to ask if this
money was given to increase the money supply in the
Central Bank or to assist in swelling up prices of
basic commodities?
Cameroonians are suffering from unemployment
and poverty when studies have revealed that Cameroon
can be industrialized as a tourist destination. The
revenue that could be collected from this sector can
significantly contribute in the development of other
sectors. But at present this is utterly disregarded.
The Dja Reserve that has the potential to become the
jewel in the crown of Cameroon’s eco-tourism is in
danger because of insufficient monitoring and constant
killing of wildlife by poachers. No real political
commitment exists on the part of the Ministry of Environment
and Forestry to either fortify monitoring, control or
preserve the reserve. And the Dja has a natural
potential which justifies its status as a biosphere
reserve and a world heritage site.
According to the Global Forest Watch, wide
spread corruption, disregard for forest exploitation
rules by logging companies, illegal declarations and
felling of timber accounts for the loss of significant
revenue by the state. The rate at which Cameroon’s
forest is being exploited threatens the ability of
future generation to benefit from the forest for their
own development.
Meanwhile the authorities continue to be
obdurate to invest political will for sustainable
development. It should be noted that if there ever
exist an opportunity on the part of the power wielders
to harness our natural and human resources the
government will be able to achieve the millennium
development goals by 2015.Cameroonians are lagging
behind because government and political leaders are
not serious about giving sustainability a priority in
their policy making.
If our policy makers can prioritise our
development needs objectively, putting aside other
sentiments there will be enough for every Cameroonian
in the long term. We have infrastructures, {like
Garoua airport}, which were constructed but are less
effective because of the low rate of traffic they
receive per week. Government is going into state
coffers to maintain and run a project that cannot
sustain itself. Why construct airports or
infrastructures, which cannot sustain their running
cost. Instead the government could have used the money
to renovate other infrastructures {like the Douala
airport} that generates revenue for the state and can
sustain itself. Things are not happening because most
of our projects are politically motivated, personal
and other priorities are placed before national
ones. The challenge is not just for the
authorities to address impediments to sustainable
development but to ensure that effective policies are
developed and transformed into possible realities for
the present and future good of all Cameroonians.
The acid test for the government’s
contribution towards sustainable development will be
two-fold; its vision to invest political will in the
governance system and in giving sustainability a place
in any of its development plans.
As Klaus Toepfer says “we need concrete
actions, concrete timetables and an iron will”. Hence,
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Stephen N. Asek
Stephen Asek is a Cameroonian with a multicultural perspective in development, justice and social responsibility.
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