ECONOMY
A / Agriculture:
The territory of Southern Cameroons is blessed with fertile land along the coastal region which encouraged the Germans to open palm, tea, rubber, banana and black pepper plantations in the late 1800s.
These plantations which were taken over by the British after the defeat of Nazi German and were renamed Cameroon Development Corporation. After many past decades, the CDC remained the largest employer
next only to the government of La Republique du Cameroun, which has annexed The Southern Cameroons and continue to despoil the natural resources of the territory. The CDC produces over 25,000 metric
ton of natural rubber, 95,000 metric tons of palm fruits, and 40,000 metric tons of bananas annually. It has two large tea estates in Tole and Ndu, a coconut plantation in Mbonge and black pepper
plantation in Bimbia.
In the domain of agro tourism, the diversity of agriculture is found through plantations and agro industrial units. The Cameroon Development Corporation (C.D.C) is the largest agro
industrial unit in the Southern Cameroons with impressive Banana, Tea, and Palm Oil Plantations. You could visit the Tea plantation in Tole (Buea) and Ndu; Banana plantation in Delmonte in Tiko. There
is also the PAMOL Oil Plantations in Ndian County. They are magnificent vast greeneries and exploitation of high revenue to the economy of the territory. Still in this domain, you will discover the
beautiful Cocoa trees striking in their sizes, their cherries, their shapes and in their alignment. You could equally appreciate the diversity in Southern Cameroons agriculture in the Northern region.
It is a good opportunity finger plants giving Irish potatoes, beans, maize, cabbage, pepper, green pepper, tomatoes, cassava, okra, onion etc.
The palm fruit is used to produce oil used for cooking in most part of Africa. The oil can be used for soap and candle production. Kennel which is a by-product of palm oil can be crushed and oil
pressed out of it, which can be used for the production of oil paint and candle and the by-product of the kennel can be used to produce bird feeds. While CDC operates an agro- industry, there are
many sole proprietorship plantations for all the aforementioned products of CDC. Also, the great people of Mundani which comprises the villages of Bamumbu, Bangang, Banti, Bechati, Besali, Folepi
and Egumboh have their economic life-stay wrapped in the numerous palm plantations that surrounds them.
Cocoa and coffee productions are at a large scale in Southern Cameroons. Before the unholy marriage with LRC, the Southern Cameroons’ Marketing Board was in charge of the exportation and sale of
cocoa and coffee produced in the territory. The marketing board was a success story for the farmers of Southern Cameroons, until LRC liquidated it after annexation. Rice farming is carried out locally
in the grassland region of Southern Cameroons, most specifically at Ndop
Sugar cane does great in Southern Cameroons, although it is not at industrial level.
The fertile land of Southern Cameroons produces fruits such as papaya, oranges, grapes, guava, pineapples, water melon, etc. The Ndop plain forest is one of the most fertile areas in West Africa but it
is under utilized.
B./ Crude Oil:
Crude oil exploration and exploitation began in The Southern Cameroons in 1964 in the off shore of the then Kumba division, after Nigeria discover fossil oil in the Niger Delta shelf. Since 1970, seventy
five percent (75%) of Crude Oil produced in the triangle called Republic of Cameroon today, comes from an offshore area named Rio Del Ray Basin. 158000 barrels was the daily production of petroleum
from the Rio Del Ray Basin from 1975 – 1980. It is about 70,000 barrels today. Meanwhile the French in late 1970 paid off an American oil exploring company which had discovered large crude wells in
Tiko Sub-division, in pretext that the triangle called Cameroon was French. These wells are sealed and reserved for the French, although there are in the territory of The Southern Cameroons. The Bakassi
Peninsular which holds about a fifth of the total crude oil in Africa is part and parcel a property of The Southern Cameroons along the boards with Nigeria.
C./ Coal/Gold:
A large deposit of coal has been discovered in Nkambe in the Grassland region of The Southern Cameroons. Gold was recently discovered in the Nkambe area as well.
D./ Waterfall:
The Menchum fall is one of the biggest in Africa. It has the capacity of generating electricity that could supply most part of West and Central Africa if well developed.
The Yoke hydro power station which used to supply electricity to the territory of The Southern Cameroons before it was trashed in early 70s by the government of LRC remains in corrugated sheets.
E./ Forest:
The Southern Cameroons is blessed with Tropical Rain Forest. Korup is more than sixty (60) million years old with its biological diversity and ecosystem still intact. It is the oldest remaining rainforest
in Africa, with 1000 species, of which 60 are occurring nowhere else in the world. More that 90 medicinal plants have been discovered there, 36 of which are new to science, 400 tree species, 327 bird species, 174
species of reptiles and amphibians and140 species of fish. A vine found in Korup National Park known as Ancistrocladus or korupensis, has shown to be active against HIV. Researchers are doing findings
all over the world with some positive signals surfacing. Oil palm is said to have originated from Korup as well as endemic co-evolved, an insect that pollinates oil palms. This insect was exported to
Southeast Asia and it is making a big impact in the performance of their oil palms.
F./ Timber:
The tropical rainforest engulf assorted species of timber, some which are over a thousand years old. European companies have being logging in this forest for decades without educating the local population on the harm
of deforestation to their future environment.
G./ Food Crops:
The territory of The Southern Cameroons produces different food crops enough to feed her people and sell to other countries. These food crops includes but not limited to yams, cocoyams, plantains, beans, sugar canes,
water melon, papaya, pineapples, corn, pea, and assorted vegetables. Twice a week, businessmen and women come from Gabon, the Central African Republic, La Republique du Cameroun and Nigeria with Lorries to buy food
crops at the little talked about international food market in Muea, The Southern Cameroons. It should be noted that these food crops are produced by peasant farmers as of now.
H./ Fishery:
The Southern Cameroons has one of the richest fishing zones in West Africa. The coastal region of Ndian division is home to numerous species of fishes. For decades, this region has being supplying Nigeria with million of
tons of fish each year. The Bakassi Island is one of the richest fishing grounds in West and Central Africa. The fish is not yet industrialized.
I./ Animal Husbandry:
Animal rearing has not been industrialized in The Southern Cameroons but local people rear a lot of cattle to feed the territory and sell to other countries. Cows, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, horses, are some of the
animals reared.
J./ Transportation:
By 1953, the territory of The Southern Cameroons has two seaports in Victoria and Tiko, a creek port in Mamfe, airports in Tiko, Bali and Bessongabang which were all operational and the economy of the region was booming
until LRC used her military force to shut them down.
Contributed for the SCYL Website by Tata Andrew Edimo.