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Abstract

The establishment of agro-plantations which is a colonial legacy is an important contributor to urban development in Tropical Africa. This paper examines the process of agro-industrial plantation development and consequent urbanization in the Mungo Corridor -an agricultural curnocupia of the Littoral Region of Cameroon. With the aid of field surveys and the distribution of 100 questionnaires using the systematic sampling technique which were complemented by secondary sources, the study employed the correlational analysis to establish a relationship between the establishment of plantations and urbanization in the Mungo Corridor. In establishing a nexus between the spatial distribution of plantations and the process of urbanization in the Mungo Corridor, the empirical results showed that most of the indicators of agro-industrial development and urbanization have linear relationships at 1%, 5% and 10% levels of significance. Furthermore, this paper argues that although other factors might have contributed to the urbanisation process of the Mungo Corridor, the role of agro-industrial plantation development stand out clear. As such a process is noted to have precipitated urban development challenges, the study recommends, among others, that the Delegation of Urban Development, in collaboration with the councils should embark on measures aimed at ensuring urban renewal by designing a comprehensive programme for planning and development of new layouts in the area. In addition, camps should be improved upon by rehabilitation and refurbishment while a proper waste treatment method should be adopted by the plantation establishments to mitigate the attendant effects of pollution that the populations already decry. Finally, it seems logical and equitable that the plantation authorities should cede or surrender some land to the local population to provide them with space for food cropping and housing construction.