9. Integrated Organic Growth: The Cases of Cameroon and Mauritius

This chapter analyses and evaluates the success of the internal growth processes in delivering a better life to the citizens of the countries studied, and second, investigates the role that China plays and the impact it has in supporting or deterring the success of this process. The two African countries that were selected for this analysis are Cameroon and the island of Mauritius. The mostly positive impact of China on the organic growth in Mauritius, as illustrated in this chapter, defies the opinions of many authors who suggest that Chinese interests in Africa are solely focused on the exploitation of the continent’s energy and mineral resources—Mauritius has no such resources to offer. For the Mauritian government, China is seen as a business partner which can provide the much needed financial capital and support for the development of the social and production capacity of the country. China has also played a key role in Cameroon’s economic development, particularly with regard to the development of infrastructure. Weak and corrupt governance, however, continues to hamper Cameroon’s development and obstructs the effective growth as well as the distribution of wealth to the population. Cameroon’s economy, although relatively diversified with services, is still dominated by the public sector limiting its potential for future organic growth.