Ekeomah Atuonwu
According to Cameroonian activists, the number of applicants for the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, often known as the Green Card Lottery, has increased by 60%.
Thousands of people have been waiting in line at internet cafés to apply for the program, citing a desire to flee the nation’s separatist strife and weak economy.
Getrude Tanlaka, 29, a teacher who is one of the applicants for the visa lottery, spoke to journalists in Yaounde, and claims she is looking for better economic chances.
“I just want to get out. That is why I am playing the American lottery. My family has suffered a lot and this is the time for me to take care of them,” she said.
“In Cameroon, I cannot do that. I work every day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the remuneration is very discouraging, but in America it will be very easy. It is an opportunity to step out and change my life.”
Tanlaka says her mother also signed up for the lottery to increase the chances of them succeeding.
The Digital Rights Coalition, an alliance of civil society groups advocating for online rights and safety, says Cameroon’s estimated 200 cybercafes have seen a 60 percent increase in people applying for the visa lottery this year.
They say this follows a sharp dip in 2021 due to the high number of U.S. deaths from COVID-19. The State Department reports that entries to the American Visa Lottery program from Cameroon dropped to 151,000 last year — about half the number from the year before.
Akaba James, the coalition’s coordinator, says his organization is warning people to avoid scammers who charge money for unhelpful lottery advice.
Police say some scammers have been arrested but are giving no details.
Meanwhile, some cybercafe owners have been charging illegal fees of between $2 and $7 for each electronic entry for the visa lottery.
Now, says the coalition, many people are hoping to escape economic hardship caused by high inflation and a separatist conflict in western Cameroon, which has claimed at least 3,500 lives.
According to the World Bank, Cameroon has been experiencing high inflation since November 2021, driven mainly by shortage and increase of the price of staple goods (bread, wheat and related products, vegetable oil, and meat), which can be explained by the disruption of the global value chain due to COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
The war in Ukraine has impeded Cameroon’s economic recovery, heightening inflation pressures and domestic structural vulnerabilities. Despite the global economic turmoil, real GDP growth is projected to reach 4.0 percent in 2022 and 4.6 percent by 2024.
Cameroon suffers from weak governance, hindering its development and ability to attract investors.
