Cameroon looks to fix Chinese employment blues

Chinese interfere in basic women's business life

"They are everywhere. They have even started frying and selling puff-puff (flower balls which are a very popular staple in Cameroon)," complained puff-puff woman Etiendem Elizabeth in Mamfe. "They are interfering in every aspect of business life in this country including even those basic sectors reserved for women and children. "Said bricklayer Obenegu Joseph from Limbe: “While they are muscling local small business operators out of business, they bring along their compatriots to work on the construction projects for which they most frequently win the contracts these days.

90% chinese workers do "slave labour"

"Their compatriots account for over 90 per cent of the work force in their big construction sites. They hardly employ us even for positions for which there are thousands of qualified Cameroonians. But a Chinese supervisor at the site who also did not want to be identified explains that what Cameroonians perceive as slave labour is actually the normal working environment in Chinese construction sites. “We always want our workers to work the way we work in China. Unfortunately, they perceive this as slave labour.

President Paul Biya

With Western democracies breathing down the back of President Paul Biya by urging him to democratise and improve on his patchy human rights record, the Cameroon leader has over the years found in China an un-interfering partner especially in china outweighs infrastructural development.

China outweighs France

Chinese companies have recently won more construction contracts in Cameroon than even the country’s former colonial master France. However, the increasing Chinese involvement in big projects has also meant heightened disenchantment with their increased presence in the country.

source: africareview.com