EU delegation blames Cameroon’s underdevelopment on bad governance, corruption...

A European Union delegation in Cameroon declared on Wednesday 26.04.217 that Cameroon’s slow pace of development is due to bad governance, the prevalence of corruption and the slow pace of decision making.

It was during a conference at the Advanced School of Mass Communication (ASMAC) in Yaoundé in prelude to the celebration of Europe Day on 9th May 2017. Participants of the conference included the ambassadors of the EU, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium to Cameroon; the British Higher Commissioner to Cameroon; an attaché from the Italian embassy in Cameroon, media persons from the “Union international de la Presse francophone as well students and lecturers from ASMAC. 

The focus of the conference was to evaluate the impact of the 60-year economic partnership between the EU and Cameroon. In response to questions from journalists on the reason for the status quo of Cameroon notwithstanding ‘lavish financial assistance’ from the EU, Francoise Collet, leader of the delegation made  it clear that bad governance was the root cause, adding that it was up to Cameroonians to develop their country given that  EU is simply in a partnership with Cameroon.

Responding to a question about the obstacles to investment in Cameroon, the British High Commissioner disclosed two major facts: corruption and the slow pace of decision making in Cameroon. He equally revealed his intention to meet the prime minister the following day given that, there “is $3 billion in the pipeline for investment in Cameroon” by the UK. He however specified by corruption was a global thread. On the other hand, he lauded Cameroon's bilingual nature as source of attraction to investors.

Looking at the ceremony from another angle, there was that old image of colonization looming in the air. At the high tables there were seven ‘white persons’ with a little black journalist perching at the far-right and a huge crowd of black faces staring admiringly at them as if to say “we wish we were like you.”