Dominique Bela, VoicesofAfrica Mobile reporter in Douala, Cameroon
The lumbering sector in Cameroon has undergone the suppression of 10,000 jobs as a consequence of the ongoing financial crisis.
The timber industry is the first affected by the international financial crisis that has so far caused casualties only in the West and Asia.
According to the ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, it is established that timber export in the first half of this year fell by more than 170.000 tons compared to 2007.
As the threat of collapse hovers the currency-earning timber industry, the government has prompted the ministry of forestry to call a crisis meeting to discuss the matter as more jobs are at risk and stocks of timber grow every day pending their export.
2009 promises to be even worse. No orders are coming, and even those already made are being cancelled. Both national and multinational companies are affected by this crisis.
