Housing Scheme Developments and Social Amenities in Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) Plantations, 1947-1961: A Historical Analysis
- February 27, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: History
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue II, February 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Prof. Simon Tata Ngenge1, Obi Godfred Ayuk2
1Vice Dean, Faculty of Law and Political Science, The University of Bamenda, Cameroon
2History Department, Faculty of Arts, The University of Bamenda, Cameroon
Abstract:-Plantation involvement in worker’s care in the CDC in Cameroon was a phenomenon that practically began after the Second World War. Management provision for workers’ welfare in the broader sense was virtually non-existent in the German plantations before 1945. This neglect was in striking contrast to the care given to the security and recreation of the senior staff who were all or nearly all, expatriates. With the exception of a few bungalows laid down by the German planters, there were no recreational facilities of any kind provided by estates for workers in the German plantations in Cameroon. The absence of facilities in estate communities was of far more significance than any, comparable to lack of facilities attached to factories. This paper argues that the CDC implemented a policy that prompted the building of housing camps in the plantations. It examines the nature of houses and measures implemented to improve accommodation conditions of the workers. The housing facilities for labourers and administrative staff inherited by the Corporation were far below modern standards and even further below those, which the Corporation would have wished ultimately to institute throughout the estates. Apart from the Corporation’s own desire in the matter of improving such facilities, the obligations placed upon it by law required the earliest possible remedial action. Consequently, plans were made for the improvement of accommodation housing, throughout the area covered by the estates and the institution of other social welfare services for the employees. How far the Corporation undertook the project of better housing for the labourers is the main concern of this paper. It further examines social amenities provided by the Corporation meant to better the welfare conditions of workers. However it is noted that the housing conditions and amenities were fairly inadequate.
Key Words: Housing Development, Plantation, Labourer, Welfare and Social Amenities
