Migration and Development Between Germany and Cameroon

 DANIELLE MINTEU KADJE

University of Yaoundé 2

Abstract

Several migration researchers have for a decade,produced empirical work on migration and development. According to Hein de Haas (2008:2), this boom coincides with the “rediscovery of remittances as a “bottom up” source of development finance and the celebration of the transnational of migrants with the development of their origin societies” .This work aims at analyzing Cameroonian migrants living in Germany as well as their impact on the development of their home country (especially in the domains of health and education).These migrants often partake in development initiatives, especially in the socio-economic and political sectors, and in flows and exchanges. Migrants from Cameroon, do not belong to either home or host countries, they often build up connections with and owe allegiances to both: they are “Here” (Germany) and “There” (Cameroon). This paper seeks to view development and migration approaches as a mechanism or means for reducing poverty and increasing growth in Cameroon.

Keywords: Development, diaspora, transnational migration, Cameroon, Germany.

1. Introduction

This study aims at analyzing the case of migrants from Cameroon living in Germany and their contribution to development (especially in the health and educational sectors).ⁱThese migrants take more and more part in development activities, particularly in the social, economic and political sectors, as well as in the domain of flows and exchanges. Development practices in Cameroon aim at reducing the impact of poverty and at creating pathways to enhance well-being for the under-resourced and socially excluded. Cameroon is particular because of its high emigration rate. It is not easy to gather a comprehensive compilation and demographic analysis of Cameroonian migrants. Estimations are not reliable and differ depending on who is defined as a migrant (e.g. naturalized Cameroonians) and if undocumented migrants are included. Furthermore, the Cameroonian government does not collect data on migration systematically. However, it is estimated that between 2.5 and 4 Million Cameroonians live abroad. Most of them stay on the African Continent. According to the Cameroonian Ministry of Foreign Relations (MINREX) estimates, 2 Million Cameroonians live in Nigeria and 50.000 in Gabon. Between 800.000 and one Million Cameroonian migrants live in the USA and around 60.000 in Europe, with France being the first host country due to its colonial past with Cameroon (40.000 Cameroonians) (Kamdem 2008). Around 20.000 Cameroonians are estimated to live in Germany, if naturalized and undocumented migrants are included. 14.414 Cameroonians were officially registered in Germany for the years 1980-2006 by the German statistical Offices and the State Agency for Refugees and Migrants (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge – BAMF).ⁱⁱ There are some particularities in Cameroonian migration to Germany. Emigration from Cameroon in Germany is primarily educational. Cameroonian migrants in Germany are predominantly students or relatively young professionals. They are highly skilled and qualified. Further, they are well organised.ⁱⁱⁱ Therefore, they represent a high developmental potential for Cameroon.

Based on fieldwork in Cameroon and Germany, this research work is an analysis of the impact of transnational migration to Germany on the transformation of the rural and urban regions in Cameroon.^ivBoth qualitative and quantitative data were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the representatives of Cameroonian associations in Germany, such as Challenge Camerounaisor ARCH Hamburg. Data from associations such as Deutsch-KamerunischeBrucke (German Cameroonian Bridge), Generation Tiers-Monde, Pro New Tech or Ident Africa, AfricAvenir, African Development Initiative, NEPAD Germany and Africa Positivewas equallycollected. Data from Cameroonian professional associations in Germany such as Camfomedics(medical professionals) andVKII (a Cameroonian Association of IT specialists and engineers in Germany. More information and statistics from researchers, professionals from the private and medical sector, development experts, government authorities and organizations (BAMF,German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD, German Development Cooperation – GIZ, Centre for International Migration, STUBE, World University Service, the German Statistical Office, the Cameroonian Embassy in Germany, OECD, the World bank, and the North-South Council of Europe) were integrated in the analysis. Furthermore, available literature on Cameroonian migrants and diasporas was also included. This research focuses primarily on how migrants are organized in associations. It analyses how they cooperate with NGOs, local authorities in Cameroon and Germany in order to support developmental projects in Cameroon. It argues that transnational development challenges traditional roles and norms of the state, and are in a changing process. Further, it demonstrates that Cameroonian migrants do not belong exclusively to either home or host country; they build up connections with and owe allegiances to both: they are “Here” (Germany) and “There” (Cameroon).^v This research highlights the paradigm of transnational spaces in policy analysis. It focuses essentially on the migration and development nexus and can be viewed as a new approach to poverty reduction in Cameroon.^vi

2. Theoretical background: The migration and development nexus

Development and migration are part of the same process and therefore constantly interactive. The debate surrounding the migration development nexus can be divided into three phases:the first one or the “optimistic phase” of the 1950-60s, lay on the effect of remittances and return migration.

Chronologically, the debate surrounding the migration development can be divided into three phases: In the first “optimistic phase” of the 1950-60s, the focus lay on the effects of remittances and return migration, which were then considered to be beneficial for development. This was followed by decades (the 1970-80s) in which migration was in contrast considered to contribute to poverty and underdevelopment in the South, as well as increasing its dependency on the North. In particular, the concept of “brain drain” dominated the debates atthat time, and migration was then largely understood as cross-border movement and permanent emigration or immigration. In the third phase (since the 1990s), “optimism” once more prevailed and migration was seen as leading to or facilitating development. The understanding was that development could be encouraged through the (controlled) cross-border circulation of people – that the economic and social needs of migrants, of source countries and of destination countries are best served by temporary periods of residency followed by a return to the country of origin rather than by permanent emigration or immigration.^vii Currently a realistic view prevails; migration is not a panacea for developmental challenges. Some researches, for example de Haas (2012: 22), ask whether a new neo-pessimistic phase in the consideration of the impact of migration on development dawns.

Table 1: Main phases in migration and development research and policies.

Period	Research community	Policy field
Until 1973	Development and migration Optimism	Developmentalist optimism; capital and knowledge transfers by migrants would help developing countries in development take-off.
1973-1990	Development and migration pessimism (dependency, brain drain)	Growing scepticism; concerns on brain drain; after experiments with return migration policies focused on integration in receiving countries. Migration largely out of sight in development field.
1990-2001	Readjustment to more subtle views under influence of increasing empirical work (NELM, livelihood approaches, transnationalism)	Persistentscepticism; tightening of immigration policies.
Since 2001	Boom in publications: mixed, but generally positive views.	Resurgence of migration and development optimism under the influence of remittance boom, and a sudden turn-around of views: brain gain, diaspora involvement.

Hein de Haas: Migration and Development: a Theoretical Perspective( 2007-8).

Transnational perspectives highlight the sustained connections between emigrants and their countries of origin. A transnational perspective challenges the rigid notion of emigration and return. Instead it focuses on the processes that take place within the transnational social field that is shared by migrants and non-migrants (Jorgen Carling 2005). Daniel Bach has argued that trans-state networks

“instil and stimulate specific patterns of regionalization”,“(whereby) the dynamics of networking usually associated with transnational interactions coalesce with a capacity to instrumentalize interstate relations and state policies through the treatment of public office as opportunities for private interactions” (Bach 2003:23).

For Basch et al. transnationalism means “the process by which immigrants forge and sustain multi-stranded social relations that link together their societies of origin and settlement” (Basch, Glick Schiller and Szanton 1994:7). Actually, the literature on migration and development is also taking the transnational perspective into account.

The concept of transnationalism emerged in the late 1980s (Glick Schiller . 1992), and prior to that date, migration was viewed as a unilateral movement. International migration brings new forms of migration based in cross-national and transnational networks. Complex and multi-directional migration increased, though not steadily, but it was linked to certain stages of one’s private or working life (Lenz et al. 2002). The main consensus amongst the theorists of transnationalism is perhaps the notion of transnationalism as a process focused on the developments that take place within the transnational social field that is shared by migrants and non-migrants (Carling 2005). Most of the literature regarding transnationalism goes well beyond conventional borders of nation-states. It is mainly framed within the study of international migration, and the units of analysis assume a relatively obvious duality regarding behaviour: duality in the daily life of the individual or the family; duality of the relationship between organizations that deal with immigrants’ issues and the host and home countries. Additionally, economic, cultural, political and social activities are recognized as spaces that are built by their protagonists, mainly immigrants, and that these spaces cross geographic borders in an endless array of forms. However, the dimension of migration and transnationalism in relation to devising policies and strategies to promote development is only beginning to be researched and understood.

Orozco explicitly stated that the implications of these dynamics are reflected in an impact on the home country at various levels, particularly at micro and macro levels; these dynamics create “distant proximities” (Rosenau 2003).The implications of these dynamics coincide with the development and the improvement of the quality of life for the familyand theyhave an incidence on the national economy.

3. Transnationalism in Practice: The case of Cameroonian Migrants in Germany

Cameroonians in Germany do not belong exclusively to either home or host country; they have connections with and owe allegiances to both: they are “Here” (Germany) and “There”(Cameroon). The contribution from this diaspora to ‘home’ is largely in the form of financial remittances and diversity of transfer activities in the fields of sciences, business, culture and education.

Among Cameroonian transnational activities financial remittances are the most visible and it can even be assumed that remittances dominate transnational practices. The lack of reliable data makes it impossible to determine the total amount of money transferred by Cameroonians in the Diaspora.The Cameroonian government does not collect data on remittances. They are hard to track. However, according to the World Bank (2011) 148.000.000 US-Dollar were remitted to Cameroon in 2010. Remittances mainly take place through International money transfer services such as Western union or Money Gram.^viiiSchmelz(2007: 21-22) argues that the amount and frequency of money transfers depend on thepurpose ofa given project and its objective.Most of the remittances sent to family members and friends are spent on daily consumption and social obligations, such as marriage or funeral contributions. Further, a high share of remittances is used for medical and educational expenses (Yahadi 2012: 62). Rarely, remittances are invested in business activities (Ekama 2011: 17).

Further, Cameroonians abroad are politically active since colonial times. Nowadays, this political activism becomes visible through the internet: online forums, such as camerooninfo.net or camer.be, are based in European countries and express political views of members of the Cameroonian diaspora. However, the Cameroonian (The Francophone and the Anglophone diaspora) in Germany seems to be not much involved in political activities) if compared with the more political Cameroonian Diaspora in France. As a result of her lack of political activism the Cameroonian Diaspora in Germany is often described as “the good diaspora”.

Another form of transnational activities, which are on focus in this paper, are associational type.^ixOn the one hand they contribute to the development of Cameroon through different projects, on the other hand it also has to be mentioned that most of the associational activities focus on the host countries; Cameroonian migrants support each other through associations to cope and to integrate into the host societies. Additionally, the associations fulfil an affective function: they help to maintain a group boundary over time. A rather small number of these associations undertake projects in Cameroon. However, in the following sections the developmental activities of Cameroonian organisations in Germany will be investigated.

3.1 Cameroonian Associations in Germany

During the last years Cameroonian associations in Germany became more and more visible. They are embedded in a deep sense of village and community solidarity. They have traditionally contributed to the development of their home community through transfer of funds and they have been doing this in a more innovative and organized manner.These associations collect and channel migrant funds and use them to finance, wholly or in part, a variety of productive projects in their home communities. Cameroonian associations in Germany are close to civil societies in Cameroon which aim at filling the gap of the State’s incapacity to provide services.These associations cooperate with NGOs in the execution of their projects, in order to benefit from their expertise, skills and knowledge.

There are many Cameroonian associations in Germany amongst them the most important are:

• Associations of students or alumni

• Professional associations, such as Camfomedics ( existing since 1994)

• Development associations, which focus on development policy such as Deutsch-Kamerunische Brucke (German Cameroonian Bridge), Generation Tiers-Monde, Pro New Tech or IdentAfrica orAfrican Development Initiative.

• Cultural associations such as AfricAvenir, Africa Positive or Challenge Camerounais^x.

3.2 Activities in the health and education sectors

Two key sectors of Cameroonian migrants in Germany are the health and education sectors. Therefore, some activities in these domains will be presented.

Education

One of the priorities of members of the Cameroonian Diaspora in Germany is to support the building and equipment of schools. Apart from this, they contribute through the donations of writing materials, schoolbooks and the payment of school fees. Moreover, members of the Cameroonian community in Germany are also involved in sharing their technological expertise with graduate students and academics. This cooperation rather focuses on tertiary education. In this matter, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the University of Yaoundé I and VKII in 2012 aiming at knowledge transfer. The mission of the VKII association consists in fostering widespread support for the adoption of technology by achieving the following: Channeling talents of Cameroonian engineers and computer scientists; providing a forum for the definition of standards, the resolution of implementation problems, the development and delivery of education and training programs and the development of strategies and tactics for the continued expansion of their philosophy of using technology to achieve efficient progress; ensuring that standards, policies and regulations for different fields are thoughtfully developed and implemented by serving as the primary catalyst for the identification, communication and resolution of obstacles that impede the growth of these fields; informing and educating VKII members and other stakeholders about the benefits and strategies for successfully implementing technological strategies; development and implementation of development-oriented projects; technology and knowledge transfer. The VKII is also in partnership with the Cameroonian Ministry of Research and Scientific Innovation (MINRESI).

Health

The Cameroonian association Camfomedics was founded by Cameroonian medical, pharmacy and dentistry students on 7 May 1994 in Tubingen, Germany. The nameCamfomedicsis a shortened form of “Deutsch-Kamerunisches Forum für die Medizinischen und Paramedizinischen Wissenschaften e.V.” (German-Cameroonian Forum for Medical and Paramedical Sciences e.V.).This association is a diaspora initiative for the promotion of a sustainable health policy which should promote the integration and re-integration of Cameroonian and German medical students. Equipped with knowledge about the reality of life in Cameroon, experience abroad, special skills in medical science, as well as a strong will, the association’s main activities and aims are focused on; training and further education, health projects in Cameroon, integration and re-integration of experts, global partnership and exchanges with other disciplines. This association has many projects in Cameroon such as PINK(a programme for internships in Cameroon). Part of PINK is a portal about the possibility of an internship, clinical traineeship and practical year for medical students and nursing careers in Cameroon. The goal is to make it possible and to make it easier for both Cameroonian and German students to do their internships in Cameroon).

The largest crisis of the health system in Cameroon is the lack of specialist staff. The focus of the iMEDprogramme (“Improving Medical Education and Health Care Delivery through Diaspora Engagement”) is to train Cameroonian doctors in the use of simple, modern, “minimally invasive” diagnostic and therapeutic instruments such as sonography, electrocardiography and endoscopy. Therefore, Cameroonian doctors from abroad work or teach within the framework of the programme.

The pilot project eHealthserves to improve the work processes in the hospitals in Cameroon by electronic means. It serves as a new communication platform between doctors world-wide.

The following diagram shows the interaction between Cameroonian associations in Germany and their recipients in Cameroon; it highlights the fact that, several actors are involved in this dynamics, both in origin and in destination. The actors are in an interdependent relationship.

On the side of Germany, we further have to notice that, Germany is a decentralized country and there are many initiatives at the regional level in the area of migration and development and regional initiatives such as the Fachstelle Migration und Entwicklung in North-Rhine Westphalia are worth mentioning. The decentralized system in Germany offers possibilities for participation at all levels of decision-making and open up new avenues of action under the government policy of development cooperation. A process of cooperation involving public authorities, migrant associations, NGOs and the private sector emphasises local development and the role of local authorities. In other words, these associations stress the importance of involving institutions in both North and South so that they are all jointly engaged in development practices in Cameroon^xi