Cameroon after Live Aid

Cameroon is situated on the west coast of Africa, on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea. The country is becoming increasingly urbanized, and has one of the highest literacy rates on the continent. Its economy is primarily agricultural, with principal commercial crops being cocoa, coffee, tobacco, cotton and bananas, and for a quarter-century following independence, Cameroon was one of the most prosperous countries in Africa.

Cameroon’s political climate, however, has been shaped by alleged human rights abuses, as well as a level of corruption within government and state-related organisations, which is among the highest in the world. This along with a decade-long recession in the 1980s, that saw a drop in commodity prices for it’s main exports has hampered the country's economic progress. Like many other African, countries, Cameroon has suffered from an influx of HIV/AIDS; the epidemic placing continuous stress on the government.

See how you can sponsor a child in Cameroon.. 

Time Line

• 1958 French Cameroon granted self-government with Ahmadou Ahidjo as prime minister.

• 1960 French Cameroon granted independence and becomes the Republic of Cameroon with Ahidjo as president.

• 1961 The modern state of Cameroon is created in 1961 by the unification of two former colonies, one British and one French.

• 1972 Cameroon becomes a unitary state following a national referendum and is renamed the United Republic of Cameroon.

• 1982 The countries’ Prime Minister, Paul Biya succeeds Ahidjo, becoming President.

• 1990 SOS Children and the government sign an agreement saying that an SOS Children's Village can be constructed in the country, close to the capital.
  

• 1986 Close to 2,000 people die, many in their sleep, as poisonous gases from Lake Nyos kill all life in the surrounding 15km.

• 1994 Fighting between Cameroon and Nigeria flares up over disputed oil-rich Bakassa Peninsula.

• 1998 Transparency International names Cameroon as the most corrupt country in the world. SOS Children's Village Mbalmayo opens offering the additional services of a Nursery, Primary School and Medical Centre.
  

• 2001 Fears for Cameroon's environment increase, with Global Forest Watch reporting that 80% of the country's indigenous forests have been allocated for logging.

• 2005 Concern grows over a cholera outbreak in the north, fuelled by heavy rains and flooding. Paul Biya wins new seven-year term as president.
  

• 2006 The Paris Club of major lending nations agrees to cancel almost all of Cameroon's $3.5bn debt.

• 2007 A high prevalence of HIV in a general population of southern Cameroon is reported. SOS Children implements a community outreach programme to more than 5,000 orphaned and vulnerable children and their families in three areas in and around the capital Yaounde. A second Children's Village, Douala , opens.
  

• 2008 A nationwide transport strike in protest at fuel costs turns into a series of anti-government demonstrations in the capital, Yaounde, leaving at least 17 dead.

• 2010 The maternal death rate is very high, 9th worst in the world, at 690 deaths per 100,000 live births. There is a lack of knowledge and effective care and medical treatment in the country.
  

• 2011 Government bans all buses and taxis from using the roads at night to reduce Cameroon's high number of fatal traffic accidents. The country battles food crisis following severe drought. 

• 2012 The economy is reported to have revitalised thanks to the recovery of the oil sector, and strong domestic demand due to extensive investments in infrastructure. Life expectancy at birth has improved only by 0.9 years from 1980.
  

• 2013 The child mortality rate is 58.51 deaths per 1,000 live births.