From Reuters Africa

Cameroon will spend an extra 925 billion CFA francs ($1.75 billion) over three years to boost economic growth, the government said after the first cabinet meeting presided over by President Paul Biya in two years.

The Central African region’s largest economy – an oil and cocoa producer – has grown steadily in the past decade. But poor infrastructure and what critics see as inertia and lack of a coherent strategy by government authorities have stymied its potential.

Cameroon suffers from chronic power shortages which cripple business operations, and its poor roads and transportation network make it hard to move goods such as cocoa, coffee and timber to ports for export.

Long-serving President Biya — who the country’s opposition calls an “absentee president” because of his frequent and lengthy holidays — said the emergency programme would be in addition to currently budgeted spending.

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