The Cameroonian community residing in Beninis organising itself to address the challenges faced by Cameroonians.
The Cameroonian community residing in Benin is taking a series of initiatives to provide an adequate response to the expectations of its nationals in the country. To this end, 10 years after its creation, the Council of Cameroonians in the Republic of Benin (CCRB), inaugurated its headquarters in Cotonou on September 1, 2023. An association under the 1901 law, the Council of Cameroonians in the Republic of Benin (CCRB), aims to be a valid interlocutor of Cameroonians in Benin, but also of the country’s authorities. Indeed, in Benin, there is a strong community of Cameroonians. The latter is present in various sectors. In this country, there are CCRB officials who are senior officials in international organisations. The vast majority of Cameroonians in the country are active in the restaurant sector while othersare fashion designers or cosmetics distributors, among others.

Personally identifiable information

Benin is also a transit country for Cameroonian migrants in their immigration project.  Personal data is among challenges CCRB has to address. The Some respondents highlighted five main pathways as trajectories from Cameroon: the Nigeria-Niger-Algeria-Morocco stream; the Chad-Libya stream; the Chad-Niger-Algeria-Morocco stream; the Nigeria-Benin-Burkina-Faso-Mali – Algeria-Morocco stream and the Chad-Niger-Libya stream.

The CCRB general assembly on September 24, 2024 adopted rules of procedure and statutes. More than a hundred Cameroonian nationals, from Various socio-professional categories attended the meeting.

The President of the Council of Cameroonians in the Republic of Benin (CCRB), Mrs. Victoire Sikedi Davison,  re-elected in May 2024, reiterated to Dialogue Migration the need to map Cameroonians residing in Benin to better take into account the needs of the community.

According to CCRB officials, this community map aims to list Cameroonians living in Benin, but also to provide social assistance in case of need.

In addition, the Council of Cameroonians Residing in Benin (CCRB) intends to give this community more visibility.

According to Mrs. Victoire Sikedi Davison, various expectations and needs are raised by Cameroonians in Benin. “After several years of wandering, Cameroonians in Benin now have a home (editor’s note: CCRB headquarters),” she says.

In addition, the CCRB chairperson urged her compatriots to take ownership of the space in order to make Cameroon shine in Benin.

To ensure that the expectations of the Cameroonian community in Benin are properly taken into account, the CCRB has set up four representations. One in Porto-Novo, the country’s political capital, one in Parakou in northern Benin, one in Abomey-Calavi, Benin’s most populous commune, and one in Fidjrossè, and surroundings, a business center.

It should be noted that the CCRB is made up of a board of six (06) members. A board of elders has also been set up to support it. In order to facilitate the integration and influence of Cameroonians in Benin, various positions of responsibility have been instituted in relation to social, sports, artistic, and planning aspects as well as a protocol.

Migration of Cameroonians

The  reasons for the migration of populations in Cameroon are, among others:  the economic, the search for agricultural land, the development of trade, etc.

According to IOM, Cameroon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that up to 30,000 Cameroonians lived in the Gulf of Guinea between 2000 and 2004, mainly because they belong to the same ethnic groups and geographical region. The majority are long-term migrants. In fact, 40% of them have lived in their destination country for 10 years or more and 16% for 5 to 10 years.

In addition, remittances from Cameroonian migrants increased from $11 million in 2000 to $103 million in 2004, reaching a record $167 million in 2008, representing 0.8 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Cameroon’s consular representation in Benin is also noteworthy. The Cameroonian consulate general is one of 72 foreign representations in  Benin, and one of 70 foreign representations in Cotonou. It is one of 66 Cameroonian diplomatic and consular representations abroad.