Research Article

The Contributions of the National Produce Marketing Board (NPMB) in the Socio-Economic Development of Meme Division in the South West Province of Cameroon, 1978-1991: An Historical Evaluation

Authors

  • Canute A. Ngwa Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Cameroon
  • Paul Ninjoh Mbusheko Doctoral candidate, University of Bamenda, Cameroon

Abstract

Meme Division, within the period of this study, was considered the economic life wire of the then South West Province of Cameroon. Though not an industrial hub, the Division indulged in viable economic activities like agro-industrial related businesses. This was contingent, principally, on its fertile soils which encouraged the settlement of heterogeneous farming populations in the main urban centers and even in the most enclaved parts of the territory. This paper seeks to evaluate the role the National Produce Marketing Board (NPMB) played in fostering socio- economic development in the study locale. It zooms into the pivotal roles the marketing board played in fostering the cultivation and processing of such “king” or cash crops like cocoa and coffee which attracted the various marketing organizations to the area. This, notwithstanding however, the study establishes that most of the supposed development projects initiated by the NPMB were ephemeral in nature and therefore disappeared with the demise of the NPMB without a single vestige. Thus, from the research findings, the focus of the NPMB was not to develop the Division as was generally purported in the decree of creation but rather to facilitate the extraction of vital cash crops from the territory ostensibly for the good of the local farmers.

Article information

Journal

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies

Volume (Issue)

2 (3)

Pages

32-42

Published

30-05-2020

How to Cite

Ngwa, C. A. ., & Mbusheko, P. N. . (2020). The Contributions of the National Produce Marketing Board (NPMB) in the Socio-Economic Development of Meme Division in the South West Province of Cameroon, 1978-1991: An Historical Evaluation. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 2(3), 32–42. Retrieved from https://al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/jhsss/article/view/252

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Keywords:

Meme Division, socio-economic development,, cash crop cultivation, marketing Boards