Personalizing Common Property Resources in Cameroon: Casting the Lessons from a Privately-Owned Beach
Clarkson Mvo Wanie

Abstract
The Cameroon political and economic systems for the most part operate in a paradigm of the free market economic structures where there is free intercourse between the factors of production and market trends. The situation of leisure and most resolutely tourism, has gained increasing government attention. The Cameroon maritime regulation provides that sea resources and anything found 50m from the sea is owned by the government but this falls under the custody of the indigenes. Among the abounding opportunities and avenues that attract tourists in Cameroon, sea resort areas like beaches constitute the main trust. This study is an attempt to examine the efforts made by individuals to personalize beaches using Hotel Semme Beach in Limbe as a case in point. From the analysis of collected data, this paper reveals that Hotel Semme Beach has expanded the tourist circumference in Cameroon through the provision of urgent tourists’ facilities, payment of royalties to the state in the form of taxes, generate employment and revenue to many and maintaining high environmental standards. Adversely, the welfare of the indigenes is not being taken into consideration as money paid as taxes is not used to improve upon the local economy and protect the environment. The indigenes are also employed only at the lower level and so earn pea nut salaries. The imposition of payment before usage has restricted the poor from consuming the beach. This study examines the situation and proposes recommendations for better outcomes.

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