By Mercy Neba in Yaounde
The difficulty of access to information is made worse because local communities are sidelined in negotiations for land acquisition between investors and the government.
“When foreign investors seeking vast land concessions for agro-industrial purposes come to the country, they negotiate only with the government to get these lands. The local populations who also need the lands are never invited to participate in the negotiations,” observed Prof. Etienne Kenfack, author of the study.
The study was commanded by the Network for the Fight Against Hunger – RELUFA, with funding from the Civil Society Support Program (PASC) of the Cameroon-EU Cooperation.
According to RELUFA coordinator, Jaff N. Bamenjo, Cameroon needs to review its legal and institutional framework on land acquisition this because the problems created by the mad rush for land concessions by foreign multi-national investors.
He however pointed out that though the problems are many, the study focused mainly on access to information relating to land acquisition.
During the press conference that followed the presentation of the study report, panelists noted that Cameroon has no law that provides for direct access to information relating to land transactions, and that the country’s land use plan needs overhauling to fill the legal voids that exist in it.
RELUFA’s Clemence Tabodo explained that the presentation of the study was only the first part of the advocacy that RELUFA and other partner CSO’s have engaged in to improve access to information on land acquisition in Cameroon. She said the second part of the advocacy will be done in the local communities.
The presentation ceremony was attended by representatives of CSOs, representatives of local communities and journalists among others.
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