The Impact of the Unofficial Cattle Business on the Household Welfare of Cattle Traders of the Border Towns of Cameroon and Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the unofficial cattle business on the household welfare of cattle traders of the border towns of Cameroon and Nigeria and relates that impact to the household access to basic needs or services of life such as income, employment, food, shelter, education, potable water, electricity, and health care that have been extensively used in the literature as indicators for the attainment of well-being and freedom from the yoke of poverty in the society. It uses primary and secondary data on the trade activities and employs descriptive as well as inferential techniques of data analysis to capture the objectives of the inquiry. The findings of the paper show that despite the unofficial character and unnoticed impact of the business by the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria, the traders who partake in the business acknowledge to have enhanced their living conditions with it. Poverty reduction being implicitly or explicitly cited as a strategy for household welfare improvement by the government in Cameroon and Nigeria, the paper recommends the enforcement, review and continuation of the existing poverty reduction programs irrespective of the leadership choice in the countries.