Cameroon is rich in petroleum, minerals, tropical forests, wildlife, water systems, fertile lands, and much more. Paradoxically however, most citizens live in abject poverty and without jobs, potable water, electricity, good healthcare and roads. This book is a thoughtful interrogation of some of the structural factors driving persistent poverty in Cameroon in the midst of natural resource abundance. It engages in a multidimensional critical analysis of the impact of natural resources on basic development indicators and concludes that good resource governance and sound management are the missing link. Natural resources alone will not create socio-economic prosperity void of good management with a clear development vision and strategy in Cameroon. The book assembles a wide diversity of analysis, views, perspectives and recommendations from economists, development experts, social and political scientists, on Cameroons current development inertia. What emerges in the end is a coherent interdisciplinary analysis of the natural resource-development paradox as it plays out in an African setting. Theories and good practices from Africa and beyond are systematically applied to identify and critique present policy and management approaches while providing alternative options that can unlock Cameroons natural resource wealth for national prosperity.

Cameroon is rich in petroleum, minerals, tropical forests, wildlife, water systems, fertile lands, and much more. Paradoxically however, most citizens live in abject poverty and without jobs, potable water, electricity, good healthcare and roads. This book is a thoughtful interrogation of some of the structural factors driving persistent poverty in Cameroon in the midst of natural resource abundance. It engages in a multidimensional critical analysis of the impact of natural resources on basic development indicators and concludes that good resource governance and sound management are the missing link. Natural resources alone will not create socio-economic prosperity void of good management with a clear development vision and strategy in Cameroon. The book assembles a wide diversity of analysis, views, perspectives and recommendations from economists, development experts, social and political scientists, on Cameroon’s current development inertia. What emerges in the end is a coherent interdisciplinary analysis of the natural resource-development paradox as it plays out in an African setting. Theories and good practices from Africa and beyond are systematically applied to identify and critique present policy and management approaches while providing alternative options that can unlock Cameroon’s natural resource wealth for national prosperity.

This volume provides up-to-date information on what has happened in the African ‘land rush’, providing national case studies for countries that were heavily impacted. The research will be a critical resource for students, researchers, advocates and policy makers as it provides detailed, long-term assessments of a broad range of national contexts. In addition to the specific questions of land and investment, this book sheds light on the broader international political economy of development in different African countries.

Responsibility is political. As the international community has called for more responsible environmental, social, and governance performance, the politics of commodities has become more fraught. Commodity Politics cuts through the new rhetoric of responsibility and presents innovative research from Cameroon to provide a better understanding of the political complexity surrounding commodity production and trade in the twenty-first century. Assessing the perspectives of businesses, international organizations, governments, and civil society groups, the authors offer insights gleaned from years of field research in a commodity-dependent country. Commodity Politics presents case studies of sugar, palm oil, cocoa, and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project. These cases uncover a problematic politics that is much broader than the implications of corporate social responsibility codes for people and the planet, delivering solid rationales for policy-makers and commodity stakeholders to think more deeply about investor-driven approaches to improving environmental, social, and governance conduct. This book trains students and scholars to better recognize political intricacies and consequential flash points. Immersing its readers in timely debates over the meaning and intent of responsibility, Commodity Politics breaks new ground in the political analysis of development.

The discussion on the role of the state and non-state actors in the improvement of livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where economic and social development is slowest, has been characterized by a disjoint between theory and empirical research. This volume sets out to revisit this question by examining the place of the two types of actors in the development process, and the increasing influence of public-private partnerships in livelihood outcomes. The book combines theoretical reflections and empirical studies on a wide variety of initiatives in several domains that seek to improve wellbeing and livelihoods, with a focus on the Sub-Saharan country of Cameroon. The book will provide insights on an area which has been both neglected with the rise of neo-liberalism, and also revived by the recent introduction of the global development goals.

This book is the product of research undertaken at the African Development Bank (AfDB) on the lessons that the continent of Africa can draw from the role of the state in Asia’s rapid economic development in the last 50 years. The book applies a cross-national comparative framework to analyse Africa’s performance drawing broadly on the developmental states of Asia (i.e. Japan, China, India, Vietnam, etc.) with focus on South Korea. The book argues that for Africa to replicate Asia’s developmental success, it may require more than just tweaking the public sector machinery. Dedicated institutions and a citizenry capable of demanding accountability from governments must become key ingredients of the development strategy. The book also provides insight into the learning experiences of Asia, in addressing key national policy challenges i.e. land reform and quality of public administration at the federal and local levels, enhancing technical skills, boosting capabilities for sciences, engineering and mathematics, and industrialization.

This book brings together the most recent advances from leading experts in the burgeoning field of environmental biotechnology. The contributing chapters adopt a multidisciplinary approach related to environmental aspects of agriculture, industry, pharmaceutical sciences and drug developments from plant and microbial sources, biochemical chemical techniques/methods/protocols involved in different areas of environmental biotechnology. Book also highlights recent advancements, newly emerging technologies, and thought provoking approaches from different parts of the world. It also discusses potential future prospects associated with some frontier development of biotechnological research related to the environment. This book will be of interest to teachers, researchers, biotechnologists, capacity builders and policymakers, and will serve as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology, microbiology and environmental sciences.

This proceedings book is the fourth edition of a series of works which features emergent research trends and recent innovations related to smart city presented at the 5th International Conference on Smart City Applications SCA20 held in Safranbolu, Turkey. This book is composed of peer-reviewed chapters written by leading international scholars in the field of smart cities from around the world. This book covers all the smart city topics including Smart Citizenship, Smart Education, Smart Mobility, Smart Healthcare, Smart Mobility, Smart Security, Smart Earth Environment & Agriculture, Smart Economy, Smart Factory and Smart Recognition Systems. This book contains a special section intended for Covid-19 pandemic researches. This book edition is an invaluable resource for courses in computer science, electrical engineering and urban sciences for sustainable development.

Eurasian economies have to become efficient more productive, job-creating, and stable. But efficiency is not the same as diversification. Governments need to worry less about the composition of exports and production and more about asset portfolios natural resources, built capital, and economic institutions.

Most African national economies depend on the exploitation of both renewable and non-renewable natural resources for development. Conventional and unconventional exploitation of natural resources has left negative carbon footprints. This has also degraded hotspots across the African continent, impacting negatively on people and the environment. A Green Economy offers the continent the opportunity to achieve sustained economic development devoid of environmental degradation and inefficient utilisation of natural resources. This book, Promoting Green Economy, explores issues affecting the socio-economic development of the continent and focuses on Africa’s need for a green economy. With chapters written by seasoned authors from academia and industry across the continent, the book examines the challenges of sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources and recommends the need for the continent to transit towards green economy as this can provide opportunities for minimising environmental footprints of all economic activities. The book calls on the commitment of the public and private sectors to the development of appropriate green economy policies and regulatory frameworks to promote inclusive growth.