Cameroon

Located in Central Africa, the country of Cameroon is extremely culturally diverse, and has been referred to as “Africa miniature” because of this. The official languages are English and French, and the country is comprised of grasslands, rainforests, beaches, deserts, and savannas. Cameroon’s largest city isDoula, and the main economic capital/seaport is Yaounde, and the political capital is Garoua.

The country was initially inhabited by the Sao civilization and soon colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century. It became a German colony in 1884, and after WWI was divided by the League of Nations mandate, between France and the United Kingdom. In 1960, the region which was colonized by the French became independent under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, becoming known as Republic of Cameroun. The British side federated in 1961, and the country gained its independence, and officially became known as the Federal Republic of Cameroon. This federation was abandoned in 1972 and was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon, through 1984 when it officially became known as Republic of Cameroon.

The government of Cameroon is divided into an executive, legislative and judicial branch. 

• The country’s President is entrusted with creating policy, negotiating treatises, commanding the armed forces, and declaring state of emergencies. All government officials, from the prime minister down, are appointed by the President. Presidential elections take place every 7-years, and are chosen by popular vote.

• The legislation is comprised of the National Assembly, consisting of 180 members, who are elected in every 5-years. The country’s 1966 Constitution also created a second house of parliament, which is made up of 100-Senate members.

• The Judicial system of Cameroon is influenced by the diversity of the country, as well as its colonialism roots.  The legal system is a bijural system between the English Common Law system operating in the Anglophone regions in the North West and South West, and the French Civil Law operating in the eight francophone regions.   

Cameroon is a member of the  La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. The country’s main ally is France, which it greatly relies on for armed defense, military spending, and other government sectors. Cameroon’s economy was rated as one of the ten highest economies in sub-saharan Africa in 2008. The country is also a member of the Bank of Central African States and Customs and Economic Unit of Central Africa (UDEAC). The natural resources in the country are greatly suited for the industries of agriculture and arboriculture. Beans, banana, cocoa oil, palms, rubber, and tea, are among the leading areas of production in these fields. Coffee, sugar, and tobacco, are also highly producing cash-crops in the country. The country has also increased reliance on the tourist-industry in recent years, in an attempt to garner more attention and increase the GDP throughout.

Visitors to the National Law Review can find updated news and stories from Cameroon, neighboring regions, and Africa as a whole. Content ranging from Visa-lottery applications, to the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), international relations with the US and other regions around the world, energy and environmental law, to merger-control in Africa, are among the topics visitors can read about on the National Law Review website.