Cameroon, like almost all other African countries especially in Sub-Saharan is faced with the
challenge of nation-building or nation-state construction. The problematic of the nation-state
construction project in Cameroon can be appreciated from at least two main perspectives.
Firstly, the country is made up of a multiplicity of ethnic and linguistic groups. Secondly,
there is the difficult task of managing the legacies of French and British colonialism as
manifested especially by differences in political culture and language (English and French).
As such, the nation-state construction project in Cameroon has been underpinned by a policy
of national integration or national unity.
Elite discourses at various levels of the state hierarchy either underscore or seize every
opportunity to remind citizens of the need/importance of national integration/unity or to
reiterate their unflinching commitment to it. However, developments in governance policy in
the public realm especially since 1982 seem to betray or contradict the discourse of the
governing elite as regards their unwavering or genuine commitment to national
integration/national unity.
The paper is divided into four sections. Section 1 is a brief review of the literature and
conceptual framework. Section 2 presents the nation-building environment in Cameroon.
Section 3 reviews some of the official discourse on nation-building and section four
establishes the fact that the official discourse on nation-building is not reflected in the
governance policy of the country. The paper wraps up with a conclusion.