Northwest region has become the country’s second-poorest, according to a new government survey that shows a poverty rate of 66.8%, well above the national average.

The 2022 Key Indicators Report from the fifth Cameroonian Household Survey (Ecam 5), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), places the English-speaking region behind only the Far North.

The sharp rise in poverty places the Northwest in the top three for the first time, a group that was previously made up of the three northern regions: the Far North, the North, and Adamawa. The survey reports that these three regions still have high poverty rates, with the Far North at 69.2%, the North at 61.1%, and Adamawa at 45.1%. The East region also remains above the national average at 41.5%.

The two poorest regions of Cameroon have both been facing various crises in recent years. In the Far North, economic activity continues to suffer from attacks by the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, which has been active there since 2013. Meanwhile, the Northwest has been the epicenter of a separatist conflict that began in late 2016. The actions of these separatists, who are fighting against the regular army, have had a significant impact on the region’s modest economy. This has led to the Northwest’s sudden jump in the national poverty ranking just six years after the start of the so-called Anglophone crisis.

Source: Business in Cameroon