Corporate Social Responsibility in Cameroon: The Hydro Electricity Sector

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility concept is relatively new in Cameroon. That is why a majority of the large companies do not have either CSR policies in place or a team that deals with corporate social responsibility issues. Very few companies have been identified in Cameroon as having CSR policies in place. One of these companies is ENEO which is the hydro-electrical company in Cameroon. This paper examines and evaluates ENEO’s CSR policies and activities in the local communities surrounding two of its reservoir dams which are the Mape and Bamendjing dams. The paper explores the problems of the people living in the local communities, the expectations they have towards ENEO, what CSR policies ENEO has in place and how it affects the people in these two local communities. The data for this article were collected by conducting interviews with forty participants that live in villages that surround the Mape and Bamendjing dams. The finding from this study indicates that ENEO CSR practices have not been efficient and very limited in these areas. Considering these two areas alone, ENEO could be described as not practicing any CSR activities. The expectation that the local inhabitants have on ENEO is very high in terms of sustainable development. However, the limited or none existence of CSR activities in these areas does not affect the profitability of the company because ENEO has monopoly in the market in Cameroon.