Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info
Published on 2024-03-26 18:04:20
In several cities across the country, the inflation rate of certain products and services has exceeded 25%, putting households whose incomes have not increased in difficulty.
In Yaoundé, the political capital, many families are struggling under the weight of expensive living costs. In the Kondengui neighborhood, in the 4th district of Yaoundé, Julie returns from the Ekounou market located in the same administrative jurisdiction. Her basket is almost empty. “I went to the market this morning with 5000 CFA francs to do the shopping, and as you can see, I came back with almost an empty basket. I was supposed to buy fish, two kilograms of rice, tomatoes, and half a liter of oil. At the market, I couldn’t do all my shopping because of the expensive cost of living,” she says.
In just a few months, prices of products have skyrocketed exponentially. “There’s a type of fish that I used to buy for 2000 CFA francs per kilogram, and now it costs 2300 CFA francs. The kilogram of rice that used to cost 600 CFA francs is now being sold for 700 CFA francs. The half liter of Mayor oil has gone from 700 CFA francs to 850 CFA francs,” she adds. This price hike prevented this lady from doing her shopping as planned.
In addition to the mentioned items, several other products have also drastically increased in price. A kilogram of Milko milk now costs 5500 CFA francs, up from 4900. The price of phosphatines has increased from 800 to 900, and from 1000 to 1200 depending on the brand. The 5kg bag of fragrant Mémé rice that used to sell for 4500 CFA francs now costs 4700. Mineral water prices have gone up from 850 to 950, and from 1100 to 1200 for a 10-liter container. Mayor vegetable oil has seen an increase of nearly 20%, going from 1400 to 1700 CFA francs per liter.
Prices of services have also increased. Firstly, urban and peri-urban transport. “The government officially increased taxi fares by 50 CFA francs. In reality, I now have to pay 400 CFA francs more for the taxi per day. I used to pay 100 CFA francs for a moto-taxi to get out of my house and 300 CFA francs for a taxi to go to work. Now, I pay 200 CFA francs for the moto-taxi and 400 CFA francs for the taxi, take it or leave it. Meanwhile, my salary has not increased,” laments Larissa, a waitress in a restaurant.
This increase in prices of products and services follows the recent increase in the prices of certain petroleum products in March. To cushion the impact of this increase, the government had slightly increased the salaries of civil servants, but this measure proves to be ineffective in the face of the rising cost of living.
Joseph Essama
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
