Corporate Environmental Responsibility in the Hydro-Electricity and Water Sectors in Cameroon

Corporate environmental responsibility (CER) concept is relatively new in Cameroon. The principal objective of this book is to examine critically the environmental aspects of corporate social responsibility in the utility service sectors namely; hydro-electricity and water sectors in Cameroon and how that connects to governmental policy. ENEO and CamWater who are respectively the unique hydro-electrical and water corporations in Cameroon are recognised as an impetus to economic, social, cultural and political advancement. Surprisingly, in this strive to achieve economic development, little or no consideration has been given to the social and environmental effects of its activities even when government’s principal responsibility has been to ensure social and environmental safety as well as mitigate any damage. Even when social and environmental problems have arisen, they have been minimised ‘in the public interest’. As a result, corporate environmental policies have not occupied a priority position on the agenda of this corporations and its implementation as such is relatively slow. The outcome of this has been the perpetration of corporate conduct that is negligent of safeguards that mitigate environmental degradation even when the State has taken measures through legislations to set social and environmental standards in a bid to regulate corporate conducts that contribute to environmental safety to the local communities. While acknowledging the innovations in these laws, this study equally argues that this has taken place within the ambit of weak and insufficiently articulated policy. Sanctions and implementation have not been stringent enough to effectively deter these coporations from violating CER as corroborated by the increase in the number of cases on violation of CER. This calls for reforms as well as the enforcement of the sanctions system.