Le Cameroun sous les fourches caudines du FMI d’après les journaux : 1988-2006

Abstract

The economic difficulties of the 1970s led many African heads of state to resort to the IMF’s structural adjustment plans (SAP), but. for Cameroon in particular, it was only in 1988 that such ambition is manifested. Indeed, over the decades after its independence, the Cameroonian miracle is the expression that characterizes the economic evolution of the country, thus reflecting the impressive economic expansion imposed by the abundance of national resources and the pragmatism of its leaders. But after the strengthening of protectionist policies in the USA at the 1980s, a context of uncertainly was created in the Cameroonian economy. Cornered by the failure of autonomous adjustment and the weight of external constraints subsequently, the government resolves to sign confirmations with the IMF in order to benefit from the financial support in exchange for application of SAP. Therefore, the problem that arises here is to know, what was the influence and opinion of the newspapers on the evolution of Cameroon-IMF cooperation between 1988 and 2006? To deal with this subject, the inductive-deductive method is adopted. It was necessary to examine archive funds and newspapers articles. After a comparison of sources and a work of reflection, small summaries on a whole series of facts are proposed where it emerges, according to the newspapers, that this cooperation was a fiasco despite the relative stabilization of the Cameroonian economy in the early 2000s.