October 20, 2007 – Sprawled on his back, eyes half closed, Gody reviews the ups and downs of a long, harrowing workday. Pocket calculator in hand, he totals up his day’s receipts and casts a mournful eye at his visitor as if the latter were just one more of his sufficiently abundant problems. “When the day’s take is so small, even though it’s still early in the month and civil servants have just been paid, I can already tell that October will be very rough,” explains Gody, by way of justification for his particularly foul mood.  |
Gody's auto parts store
|
There are a lot of young Cameroonians like Gody, who have taken on the business world before they are even 18 years old. And day after day, they face more or less the same harsh and bitter reality: a path strewn with obstacles such as bureaucratic red tape, assorted administrative dysfunctions, influence trafficking, etc. “If the business environment in this country gave us an opportunity to operate freely and without harassment, there wouldn’t be any problem. Every day brings a new array of uncertainties, but there’s nothing we can do,” insists Gody, helpless and with no hope of being able to change things. A tough road to travel An automotive electrician by profession, Gody arrived in Yaoundé in 1997 at the tender age of 15 to ply his trade after a hands-on apprenticeship in Bamenda, a city in his native Northwest Province. Lured by the promise of adventure and Yaoundé’s far better business prospects, Gody worked in an auto repair shop where he earned an honest living. Upon arriving in Yaoundé, his first thought, like that of many other young people, was to try his luck in Europe, especially since a close friend had taken that route and was sending him regular dispatches about that ultramodern ‘paradise’. “The image that we provincials have of Yaoundé is that everything is great there,” he said. “The reality is very different, although I have no regrets about coming.” He adds with a wry smile, “You have to work very hard, or you’re done for.” Two after arriving, Gody was bitten by the business bug and started his own company. He plunged headlong into the sale of electrical appliances and automobile radios, in addition to hubcaps, car alarms and automotive knick-knacks of all kinds. “I chose this market since, as an electrician, I was already fairly familiar with it. Turns out it was a pretty good decision, since I’m not doing too badly.”  |
Gody's auto parts store
|
Having started with a small stand in a teeming, low-rent neighborhood of Yaoundé, Gody now has what one can practically call a shop specializing in automotive gadgets. Thanks to his own savings and the help of his uncle, who put him up for eight months in Yaoundé, Gody now earns his daily bread by the sweat of his brow and considers himself, compared to other people his age, one of the lucky ones. Gody is now in a position to make some serious personal and professional plans, since this market niche has strong growth potential due to the Cameroonian infatuation with beautiful – and extravagantly ornamented -- automobiles. “If all goes well, I plan to rent a new storefront, since I’m already feeling cramped here…,” Gody said. “The only problem is that I’m afraid of losing my customer base because the location I’ve got here is very strategic.” In the meantime, Gody would also like to become the importer of the articles he sells, so as to increase his profit margins. “If I could afford it, I’d make regular trips to Dubai to stock up on low-priced items,” he said. “If I do become an importer, that will be another step up in this business. Right now, though, money’s much too tight.” Never admit defeat Gody does indeed suffer cruelly from the many dysfunctions plaguing Cameroon’s public finance sector. His savings have been blocked for years at the postal savings bank (Caisse d’épargne postale camerounaise). “I’m a victim of this country’s bad management. My money is trapped and nobody can give me a good explanation why. It’s a shame, but I can’t do anything about it,” Gody concludes. Gody’s bank has become Cameroon Postal Services (Campost), a public agency that maintains the deposits of small-scale savers. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy and customers are having trouble getting money they previously deposited. Various bailout attempts have failed to rectify its deeply troubled situation. As the years wear on, the business climate in Cameroon is not really improving. The country either treads water or regresses according to various rankings established by some international agencies. Ranked 152 nd out of 175 countries in the World Bank’s 2007 Doing Business report, the country failed to perform any better in the 2008 ranking, which put in it 154 th place among the 178 countries surveyed. The report confirms the shortcomings of the Cameroonian business environment. “With results like those in “Doing Business”, you’ve got to admit that we have our work cut out for us. In any case, that’s not the kind of thing that’s going to discourage me,” insists Gody defiantly. In an effort to combat some of the issues plaguing the country’s business sector, t he World Bank Group is working with Cameroon’s government to come up with a strategy for private sector development. As part of the strategy, the government recently established a formal dialogue between it and the private sector, and the Bank, through its International Finance Corporation (IFC), is providing seed funding and guidance. And, despite the challenges, Gody has some personal aspirations: “I’m engaged and the father of a little girl. I’m going to get married in a few years and start a family. After that, I’d like to build a proper house that reflects the potential stature of my business.” Ever the optimist, Gody does not despair of his country’s future: “In Cameroon, you can earn a good living if you work hard. Things are not that catastrophic,” he concludes, confident and determined, as he awaits better days to come. By Henri Laurent Bateg, Communications Officer, The World Bank |
RSS