The 91-year-old Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, gave a speech to the young Cameroonian nation on February 10 and highlighted his accomplishments while making more promises. He covered a broad variety of topics. Regarding the economy, he urged the youths to concentrate on working for themselves because the government cannot hire everyone.
He understood that the economy has been inundated with foreign products, making it difficult for youths to flourish in entrepreneurship.
Through a special three-year youth plan launched in 2016, he said the entrepreneurship promotion programme has contributed to the establishment of over 12,000 new businesses in 2023, creating nearly 22,000 direct jobs.
“While these strides are encouraging, I am fully aware that they remain inadequate considering the number of young job-seekers. That is why I urge you to seize the opportunities offered by the implementation of the Three-Year Integrated Import Substitution Plan 2024-2026 to engage in productive activities. It will enable you not only to make yourselves useful to your country but also to find the wherewithal to fend for yourselves.” Biya said in his speech.
Import Substitution: Far From Reality
Import substitution, according to the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) “means generally the satisfaction of a greater proportion of a country’s total demand for goods (production plus imports) through its domestic production.”
Cameroon, despite being over 60 years old since independence, has remained a consuming economy, with agricultural products like rice still being imported. In 2023, Cameroon imported over 150,000 metric tonnes of rice, costing 162 billion FCFA. This is far greater than what the country produces, as fertile lands in the Ndop plains and Yagwa could produce more.
Following the import substitution policy, the government in 2023 allocated 385 billion FCFA to develop the rice sector so that by 2030, it will be able to produce 750,000 metric tonnes annually.
Another area where Cameroon spends a lot is on wheat, the country’s staple food. In 2021, for example, Cameroon imported over 900,000 tonnes of wheat to Europe, costing over 155 billion FCFA. Meanwhile, its agricultural research institute has said wheat can be grown in several places in the country.
As part of its import substitution policy, the government has already allocated a total of 127.5 billion to strengthen production in the agricultural, industrial, and tourism sectors.
When outlining the government’s agenda in parliament last year, Chief Doctor Joseph Dion Ngute, the prime minister, stated that agrifood and fisheries products would be given priority.
This is because essential items like wine, seafood, and chicken are still imported into Cameroon.
No Follow-Up On Implementation
The government policy on import substitution might look good on paper but is difficult to implement.
In 2008, the government allocated 600 billion FCFA to boost rice production in the country. For more than a decade now, Cameroon still imports more rice than it produces.
This is why many are asking what will change this time.
Take wheat, for example. According to Basilius Tata of the Oku Sintieh II Oku Wheat Scheme, Cameroon is capable of producing more wheat, which can cut the country off from depending on foreign wheat. To him, the Cameroon Wheat Development Cooperative Society (CAWDEV) needs just money to secure heavy equipment and upgrade farms. This, he said, will guarantee large-scale production in the country.
Aside from agricultural products, Cameroon is still heavily reliant on other countries for technology.
Some years ago, the government procured a loan from China and bought 500,000 laptops produced in China and shipped them to university students in Cameroon. Many have said the government could have borrowed the money and created a laptop manufacturing company in the country.
These are just a few of the many areas the government of Cameroon will need to tackle to make import substitution a reality instead of a myth.
What opposition leaders said
President Biya listed many initiatives, putting young people at the forefront of addressing them. However, a few opposition leaders believe that’s not feasible.
Instead, according to Maurice Kamto, leader of the Opposition Cameroon Rennaissance Movement, the nation’s youth are dealing with desperation, moral deliquescence, exorbitant living expenses, and violence. Though he disapproved of the implemented policies, he nevertheless exhorted the young people to “consume local instead of imported products is to make the false assumption that they would be responsible for the flight of currencies and the chronic inability of the government to create attractive conditions for the harmonious industrial and economic development conducive to more jobs.”
However, PCRN party member Cabral Libii warned the young people not to believe any of Paul Biya’s claims.
“He may speak, maybe sincerely, but the reality is that he will not act afterward. No one will implement what he will promise you and what he will tell you,” Cabral Libii said hours before Biya’s speech.
Akere Muna, a rebound politician, also agreed with Cabral Libii that without a systemic change, the youth will have a hopeless future and will continue to risk their lives by all manner of clandestine manoeuvres to emigrate.