by Ntungwe Elias, our correspondent in Cameroon
Lives of ordinary Cameroonians are changing for the better with the business interaction with Chinese business people. Dealing in products ranging from electronic goods, fast foods, building materials, and household equipment, these investors by and large seem to have found a haven for their products.The hitherto gloomy street markets especially in the cities of Douala and Yaounde, are once more booming.
The downturn in Cameroon's economy since the late 80s leading to a shrink in state budget and a subsequent over 60% slash in civil servant salaries drastically weakened consumer puchasing power, a situation compounded by growing unemployment due to privatisation of state companies and mass lay offs.
According to Cameroon's Economic Review 2004, a yearly magazine published by that country's ministry of commerce and industry, "The Cameroonian market is now open to foreign investors to provide varied competitive products at affordable prices to consumers, to mend and reactivate the private and informal sector and especially to fight unemployment"
Marie Leonie of the communication department in the ministry of labour says, "The presence of the Chinese in our markets today is a wellcome relief not only to the consumers who now buy cheaper goods but to the job market as well".
Many graduates today find jobs in the informal sector thanks to this new street market boom. The new free street market policy is a break with the past, a market that hitherto was the monopoly of French products, Cameroon's colonial ruler.
Increasing street hawking, multiple make- shift stalls with Asian and predominantly Chinese products is the order of the day.Their comparatively cheaper products attract many customers and job seekers from the suburbs into these major cities:The result is a demograghic time bomb according to government runned daily Cameroon Tribune.
CHIANG YU, 34 owns a household ware house (CHIANG MATREIAL ET CIE) at Marchel Central in Yaounde, started business in Cameroon 1997. For him despite the somehow lousy market conditions, he was determined to forge ahead." I think a good business man will not let the down turn paralise him.I am hopeful and that is my spirit".
Interestingly these Chinese investors know no bounds.Their activities cut across the board, stretching to areas apparantly ignored by Cameroonians citizens. These include fruit and vegetable sales, fast food on the major streets like sandwiches and snacks.
Heisina, 31 from Bangladesh says after his market survey in Yaounde, he discovered that fast food sales, a hoary business in his home country was taken for granted and in most cases unexploited by the locales.
"I decided on fastfoods snacks and I'm so far happy with the trend" His junior sister, he adds joined him after a dismal failure in a vegetable sales venture. Peter Ngu. a Cameroonian university graduate and sales agent for Chiang et cie Materials, says the Chinese products have a market in Cameroon because their goods are relatively affordable sometimes more than 50% cheaper than rival products fron neighbouring Nigeria and France.
Three years after leaving the university, Ngu admits he could not find a job.Thanks to the new market trend, he can now support himself with a monthly income. Ngu is just one of a growing number unemployed graduates from Cameroon's six state univeristies who have found jobs and relief from the presence of Chinese investors.
Many Camerooian graduates who intially dreamt of a degree that opened doors to well-paying jobs are today face with the grim reality that degrees do not necessarily guarantee good jobs in then fomal sector. According to Cameroon's former prime minister, Mafany Musonge," degrees do not necessarily translate to well paying jobs."
Projections from the ministry of labour for the year 2004 paint the chilling scenario that at least 70 % of university and high school graduates did not find employment that matches their degees.
This explains the growing number finding solace as street hawkers and sales representatives for these Asian investors, the paltry payments not withstanding. For many, whether this translates into a better living standard is not the problem, what is important for them is that at least they can be self-reliant.
But for language barriers at times, they interact with the Chinese and other Asians peacefully, and as a result the lives of many of these Cameroonians have improved. Doris, 28 who owns a sewing workshop in Yaounde says she got into active business thanks to the cheaper machines she bought from her Chinese partner.
"A sewing machine used to cost me 85000cfa but now I get them from the chinese at 40 000frs"": Today she employs some 12 young women who assist her in her workshop. Many other consumers especially the man in the steet admits it was a good policy for the Cameroonian government to open its doors to the Asian market.
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