French Cameroon)
Constitution:
20 May 1972
Legal system:
based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 20 May (1972)
Executive branch:
president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
Head of Government:
interim Prime Minister Sadou HAYATOU (since 25 April 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), Paul BIYA, president, is
government-controlled and was formerly the only party; numerous small
parties formed since opposition parties were legalized in 1990
Suffrage:
universal at age 20
Elections:
National Assembly:
next to be held 1 March 1992
President:
last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results - President
Paul BIYA reelected without opposition
Other political or pressure groups:
NA
Member of:
ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Paul PONDI; Chancery at 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-8790 through 8794
US:
Ambassador Frances D. COOK; Embassy at Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde (mailing
address is B. P. 817, Yaounde); telephone [237] 234014; FAX [237] 230753;
there is a US Consulate General in Douala
:Cameroon Government
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a
yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia
:Cameroon Economy
Overview:
Because of its offshore oil resources, Cameroon has one of the highest
incomes per capita in tropical Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious
problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as political
instability, a top-heavy civil service, and a generally unfavorable climate
for business enterprise. The development of the oil sector led rapid
economic growth between 1970 and 1985. Growth came to an abrupt halt in 1986
precipitated by steep declines in the prices of major exports: coffee,
cocoa, and petroleum. Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and
inefficiencies in fiscal management were exposed. In 1990-92, with support
from the IMF and World Bank, the government has begun to introduce reforms
designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture,
and recapitalize the nation's banks. Nationwide strikes organized by
opposition parties in 1991, however, undermined these efforts.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $11.5 billion, per capita $1,040; real growth
rate 0.7% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.6% (FY88)
Unemployment rate:
25% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA million (FY89)
Exports:
$2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum products 56%, coffee, cocoa, timber, manufactures
partners:
EC (particularly France) about 50%, US 10%
Imports:
$2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
commodities:
machines and electrical equipment, transport equipment, chemical products,
consumer goods
partners:
France 41%, Germany 9%, US 4%
External debt:
$4.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate - 6.4% (FY87); accounts for 30% of GDP
Electricity:
755,000 kW capacity; 2,940 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil products, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles,
sawmills
Agriculture:
the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of
the population, contributing nearly 25% to GDP and providing a high degree
of self-sufficiency in staple foods; commercial and food crops include
coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock,
root starches
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $440 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.5 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $125
million
:Cameroon Economy
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF)
= 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 269.01 (January
1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54
(1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Cameroon Communications
Railroads:
1,003 km total; 858 km 1.000-meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge
Highways: