This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
Cameroon's Silicon Mountain, a tech hub modeled after Silicon Valley, has been severely impacted by the ongoing insurgency in the country's English-speaking west.
Located in the Southwest Region, Silicon Mountain was envisioned as a hub for start-ups and innovation, but the conflict has driven many entrepreneurs to leave.
"Silicon Mountain is just about alive," said Valery Colong, a worker at ActivSpaces, a hi-tech incubator site modeled after Silicon Valley. "The crisis has badly affected our activities," he added.
The conflict, which has claimed over 2,500 lives since 2017, has also affected the local economy, with income from national cocoa exports and Arabica coffee exports dropping by 20 percent.
Many of the dead and wounded are civilians, and the conflict has also led to a significant increase in unemployment, with the rate in agriculture reaching 70 percent.
Despite the challenges, some entrepreneurs remain optimistic, with Nevile Akombo Akwo working on a property announcement platform, Digital Renter.
"I'm here because I believe in the future. This isn't the time to be discouraged," he said.
However, the situation remains dire, with many investors hesitant to put money into a conflict zone, and the expatriate community facing difficulties in transferring funds.
