The role of foreign direct investments on export performance in Cameroon

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of export performance in Cameroon to determine the extent to which it is explained by FDI. This study is justified because, as a developing market economy, Cameroon will continue to depend on foreign capital to finance its long-term investment projects for so many years. In addition, exports and FDI are capable of indicating the pace with which a country is integrating into the rest of the world to transform its economy and achieve economic development (Stern, 1997). Section two of this paper examines openness and FDI flows in Cameroon in a historical and time series perspectives. A discussion on Cameroon’s export performance is presented in section three. Emphasis is laid on fluctuations in export production, trade policies and the share of exports in GDP vis-à-vis other major trade oriented economic indicators. Analysis and conclusions are presented in section five