Socio-economic Analysis of the Tobacco Sector of Cameroon: Perceptions, Impact and Prospects

Abstract

La version francaise de cet article peut etre consultee a: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3387015 The need for a decent, concerted and sustainable development remains an apparently elusive goal of man. It is in cognisance of this and more, that government regulations and policies target the nurturing and enhancement of the proliferation and sustainability of companies and other sources of employment and poverty alleviation. Unfortunately, this economic progress could come along with a high social cost; and verily, the cost-benefit analysis of both the economic and social impact is usually given only a cursory consideration. A unique example to consider this mixed blessing is the case of the tobacco industry: significantly contributes to socio-economic development; and yet health dangers and other devastating costs. Like in other countries, the presence of the Tobacco industry in Cameroon undermines the development goals with deadly products, bad business practice, destructive environmental practices and shocking labor standards. The main objective of this study is to analyze the social and economic perceptions, impacts and prospects of the tobacco industry in Cameroon. This is done within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Health promotion model was used as the theoretical foundation for a proper understanding of the perceptions that accompany and nourish socio-economic impact of the tobacco industry. The study used a mixed research method, involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Consistent with these, it followed an in-depth interview or a case study design, and a survey questionnaire design respectively. Using a mix of criterion and random sampling techniques, the study secured 525 respondents from the population, from which 435 were retained after data screening and validation. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using primary and secondary sources including data sets, documentation and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, contingency table analysis based on the respondent characteristics, inferential statistical analysis using the chi-square test for independence, and finally the linear regression econometric model. The qualitative approach employed the thematic content analysis for the data analysis. The major findings were as follows: the laxity of the restrictions is actually significantly associated to the frequency of consumption of tobacco products; the regulatory policies significantly impact the tobacco sector; and the tobacco industry significantly contributes to the growth of the Cameroonian economy. One inimitable contribution of this study is the fact that the socio-economic approach to the question of impact of the tobacco industry gives a unique entry point into the role this industry in the apparently elusive nature of sustainable development. Based on this, recommendations were made towards policy, practice and research; the bottom-line being that any initiative must take acute cognisance of the susceptibility of various population demographics to the drivers of tobacco consumption; and also, that the control measures were perceive to be inadequate, ineffective and inappropriate given the circumstances.