Under-employment in Cameroon

{% trans "Les étudiants Camerounais à la conférence internationale de clôtute du projet d'amélioration des politiques d'emploi jeune en Afrique, tenue à Yaoundé, du 20 au 24 Juillet 2019." %}

{% trans "Réussir son entretien d'embauche"

{% trans "Vous avez répondu à une annonce ou envoyé une candidature spontanée : l'entreprise concernée vous convoque pour un entretien de recrutement, la dernière étape avant l'emploi. Elle est souvent précédée des tests psychotechniques ou de connaissances." %}

The origins of the moto-taxis phenomenon in Cameroon

{% trans "L'émergence de l'activité des moto-taxis a été favorisée au Cameroun par des causes plurielles , à la fois structurelles et conjoncturelles." %}




THE ORIGINS OF THE MOTO-TAXIS PHENOMENON



The emergence of the motorcycle cab activity has been favored in Cameroon by several causes, both structural and conjunctural.

Mapping the history of the motorcycle cab phenomenon in Cameroon, a team of geographers [Kaffo, Kamdem, Tatsabong, 2012] has shown that it is through the Great North (Far North, North and Adamaoua) that the motorcycle has spread the transport space in Cameroon. In this northern zone, smuggling and the porosity of the long border with Nigeria have favored the importation of motorcycles assembled in that country. Since the 1980s, thanks to their proximity to Nigeria, the cities of Maroua, Garoua and Ngaoundéré have been the first centers of motorcycle cabs in Cameroon. The porous borders between northern Cameroon and Nigeria remain a reality. The populations of this region of the country have kept until now the possibility to import, without major customs constraints, motorcycles assembled in Nigeria. These cities now each have tens of thousands of motorcycles in daily use. After the north, the eastern region, especially the cities of Bertoua, Batouri and Yokadouma have played the role of second home of motorcycle cabs in Cameroon. It was only in the 1990s that the coastal region, particularly the city of Douala, in a context of socio-political crisis, positioned itself as the third hotbed of emergence of motorcycle cabs. The last decade has seen the rapid spread of the phenomenon in the Central (Yaoundé), Western (Bafoussam, Mbouda, Dschang) and North-Western (Bamenda) regions.


In cities like Douala, given the brutalities orchestrated by the phenomena of " dead cities ", which contributed to paralysing the national economy for six months cabs and buses of the Urban Transport Company in Cameroon (SOTUC), which had previously provided daily transportation, had not plus the right to circulate on working days (Monday to Friday). Only the motorcycles could circulate freely. People with this privileged capital were able to move around, and could transport a colleague or relative on the way to service. Then, given the high demand for transportation, owners began to give their motorcycles to a "brother" who could continue to work during the day for a few silver coins. After the long period of "dead cities," the nascent activity shifted to the crossroads of working-class neighborhoods not served by traditional cabs. In the mid-1990s, in the city of Douala, these benskineurs could be found at the entrance to outlying districts such as Bépanda, Bonabéri, PK8, Mabanda, etc. They were also known as "benskineurs". The motorcycle thus began to establish itself as a fast means of access to landlocked districts.