Campo: Minister orders probe into CAMVERT's contract breach amid community outcry.

It is addressed to the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of the Ocean Division, Nouhou Bello. 

The one-page document titled: "Concern about the size of the investment by CAMVERT S.A. covering an area of approximately 40,000 hectares in Campo Subdivision", we gathered, is part of measures to address the growing concerns of the local population. 

Minister Eyebe Ayissi pointed out in the letter that the investigation follows a petition submitted on December 14 by Mbili Jean, representatives of the Mvae, Iyasa, Mabi and Bagyeli communities in Campo. 

According to the minister, the petition submitted late last year, alleges that CAMVERT failed to comply with the terms of the social contract with the said communities.

Following the petition, Minister Eyebe Ayissi instructed the SDO of Ocean Division to "carry out investigations into the facts described”, and give him feedback as soon as possible. 

The minister also called on the SDO to submit a detailed report on the matter with concrete proposals on the way forward.

The minister's intervention, we gathered from sources, comes as a great relief to the Campo population, who had called on the government to take urgent actions to see that their plights are effectively addressed. 

In a petition sent to the Divisional Officer, DO, of Campo, the local population accused the CAMVERT management of widespread human rights abuses and environmental degradation amongst other issues. 

The troubling situation escalated last January 17 when a dozen of aggrieved youth protested against the management of CAMVERT and other companies operating in the area. 

The angry youth were expressing their bitterness over the non-respect of the terms of social contract with them. During the said protest, the youths blocked the Campo-Kribi stretch of road to cripple to movement of the personnel trucks belonging to the companies. 

They were arrested and detained at the Campo Gendarmerie Brigade but were later freed after municipal councillors demanded for their unconditional release prior to the holding of a council session. 

Last month, the Ocean SDO chaired a meeting in Kribi to evaluate CAMVERT’s social contract with the population. The meeting which was attended by CAMVERT’s management, Campo municipal and administrative authorities as well as community leaders, ended with the adoption of key resolutions with CAMVERT called to honour the terms of the contract with the local population.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3388 of Monday March 10, 2025