Cameroon Bans Export of Cocoa to Nigeria Cameroon Bans Export of Cocoa to Nigeria Because of the fight against cocoa farmers in Cameroon, ...

 

Cameroon Bans Export of Cocoa to Nigeria

Cameroon Bans Export of Cocoa to Nigeria

Because of the fight against cocoa farmers in Cameroon, especially in the war in the south-west of Cameroon, Cameroon has stopped sending cocoa to Nigeria.

During a crisis meeting held in Yaoundé on June 13, 2023, the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, took action to stop Cameroonian cocoa from being sent to Nigeria.

Cameroon's cocoa plantation managers have said for a long time that Nigerians sell cocoa in an illegal way, especially in the South West of Cameroon, which shares a long border with Nigeria.

Sources inside the Ministry of Trade say that Minister Mbarga Atangana's decision was made because of how badly raw cocoa beans have been shipped from Cameroon to Nigeria in the past few years.

Many business experts say that this is a very bad thing for Cameroon's economy.

Edmond Kuate is one of the experts who is keeping an eye on this issue. He talked to Voice of America about how Koko is affecting Cameroon's economy.

"One of the things Cameroon is lucky to have is cocoa. Even more so when doing business with other countries. They help Cameroon get money from other countries and keep the balance of trade in the right place. When Nigerians lie to get cocoa from Cameroon, Nigeria is the one that ends up with the cocoa. And Cameroon is a big loss as a country. This is making Cameroon's trade situation get worse.

Edmond Kuaté said, "This action by the Minister of Commerce reminds us that Cameroon and Nigeria are each responsible for 6% of all the cocoa exported from Africa." The winners in this field are Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. So, Cameroon needs to protect its own interests in this kind of situation.

Since the end of 2016, when a separatist war broke out in the North-West and South-West parts of Cameroon, this problem has become more important.

Listen to the story by Mohamed Ladan: