Blockages to Clear For Optimal Processing

Cameroon, it is often said, is a country of potentials. Cameroon, it is equally said, is a country that has not been able to successfully process the raw materials nature has put at its disposal.

Interestingly, everyone seems to be aware of the need to process raw materials at home but no one seems to say with exactitude what ought to be done in order to achieve this goal.

This, of course, is disturbing for a country that continues to boast of its potentials but remains planted on the spot. What then must be responsible for this state of affairs is the question on every mind.

Energy Provision

Electric energy supply constitutes one, if not, the most important priority in the drive towards emergence. This is known by everyone including the most indifferent group of Cameroonians.

Government itself is quite aware and this certainly explains the zeal towards the building of Hydroelectric Power plants to boost production.

Whereas the trouble with electric energy supply in Cameroon may be the low quantity available for consumption, the problem is equally the poor management of what is available.

To go by the official figures, electric energy supply surpasses demand as at the moment.

This may sound deceitful but figures show that present production, all infrastructure inclusive, is in the neighborhood of 1, 237 MW with an activated capacity of 1, 100 MW while national demand is estimated at 924 MW.

Where then is the trouble?

The problem is in its management.

The creation of the Electricity transmission company is looked upon as a serious leeway to boosting energy supply.

High Cost of Factors of Production

The factors of production are resources that constitute the building blocks of an economy; they are what people use to produce goods and services.

Economists divide the factors of production into four categories: land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship.

All these must be made accessible to actors for a growing economy like Cameroon’s. Access to land remains difficult especially as no regulations exists as concerns its cost.

In other words, the same piece of land sold at FCFA 1,000 in Kumbo for instance could be sold at FCFA 25,000 in Douala or Yaounde. Labour is equally unavailable and it takes tango to raise capital and build up an enterprise.

Financing

The creation of the Agriculture bank and the bank in charge of small and medium sized enterprises rekindle a lot of hope for many Cameroonians especially those having as projects processing of raw materials.

But the question remains as to how to access funds from this banks. Are the funds even enough to finance projects presented by actors? Cameroonian businessmen, in effect, are in a serious dilemma.

Whereas Commercial banks continue with their reluctance in giving out loans for the development of projects in processing, the agriculture bank that appears to be the major hope to farmers in particular seems too opaque to penetrate.

Training

Processing of raw materials requires much technology especially if the product processed needs to compete with similar ones produced elsewhere. This seems to be the major obstacle in Cameroon.

Technical education is pushed to the background and continues to be considered as a sector for either dropouts from general education or the least intelligent students.

The consequences have been quite telling on the production sector.