Privatisation of agro‐industrial parastatals and Anglophone opposition in Cameroon

Abstract

This article focuses on the regional anglophone opposition in Cameroon which arose after 15 July 1994, when the government was forced by international donors to announce the privatization of 15 public enterprises, notably in the transport and agroindustrial sectors. The most prominent among them was the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), founded in 1946/1947. The author argues that the strong resistance of anglophones in general and the Bakweri in particular to the privatization of the CDC can only be fully understood in the context of the 'anglophone problem'. Privatization of the CDC was perceived as a further step by the francophone-dominated State towards destruction of the anglophone cultural and economic heritage. This perception was strengthened by the fact that the CDC has the reputation of being one of the rare parastatals in Cameroon which from its inception has played a significant role in regional development and which had a relatively good performance record until the economic crisis. Moreover, the Bakweri, the owners of the CDC lands, were not consulted.