Large scale land acquisition by multinational companies and elites in Cameroon : Case of the Upper Sanaga division 1974-2018.

Abstract

This study titled Large Scale Land Acquisition by Multinational companies and Elites in Cameroon: Case of the Upper Sanaga Division, 1974-2018, examines the impact of large scale land acquisition by multinational companies and elite to the rural communities. Large scale acquisitions have increased in recent times because of the high demand for agricultural products in Cameroon and in the neighboring Countries. As a result, agro-industrial companies like Société Sucrière du Cameroun (SOSUCAM) and the Sino-Cameroon Iko Agriculture have signed concessions with the state to acquire vast tracts of land for investments. These concessions are long term land lease that last for 99 years. Also, the elites of the division have involved in large scale land acquisition for investments and speculative motives. This raise concerns on the impact of large scale land acquisition to the rural communities with the demographic growth of the population and access to land by the rural communities that solely depend on land for their livelihood. The concept that there is vacant and unproductive land in Cameroon opened land for foreign direct investment. The land ordinance in Cameroon classify land in to three domains; public, private and national domains. Land in the rural areas is mostly classified under the national domain since most of the rural population holds land under customary land ownership that is recognize but not protected by the land ordinance. This therefore open land under this domain for acquisition by multinational companies and elites.An analytical historical method where the qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyse the information. Data was collected using question guide and questionaires to enable a better grasp of land acquisition phenomenon in the division. Interviews were conducted to family heads, chiefs, common initiative group leaders, administrators, elites and in civil society organizations, villagers, workers in SOSUCAM and IKO/CATAC.Archival materials was also used to understand the evolution of this phenomenon in Cameroon. The results reveals that large scale land acquisition in the upper Sanaga division by elites and multinational companies deprived the rural communities from access to arable land which they sole depend for their livelihood and has generated conflicts with the rural communities. Large scale land acquisition does not take in to account the demographic growth and the future demands for access to land by the rural communities. Sustainability on access to land by the rural communities becomes a call for concerned. From the above findings, we recommend a need for an inclusive land law reform that takes in to cognizance the rights of the rural communities on access to arable land and for the government to revise lease contract terms that take in cognizance demographic growth and environmental impact assessment, in other to ensure a peaceful coexistence with the rural communities.