Untold Perspectives about Cameroon’s Economy

Abstract

What is meant by the economy of a country? Is it the way in which the production and distribution of its goods and services is organized? Is it the visible and measurable economy as captured in various official statistics? Or is it the broader analysis of the way in which the country mobilizes the resources offered it by nature, as well as those produced by the work of its inhabitants, to satisfy the needs of its population? This chapter discusses difficulties in grasping the Cameroonian economy in its entirety—beyond its official aspects observed empirically. It argues that this “analytical misunderstanding” informs the disconnect between the knowledge conveyed about the Cameroonian economy and the country’s overall economic reality. It emphasizes the essentially extraverted structure of Cameroon’s economy and suggests paths for better analyses of the nature and structure of the economy of Cameroon