Challenges to Effective Rural-Urban Linkages in Meme Division of Cameroon

Rural and urban areas are interdependent economically and socially. Rural areas depend on urban areas for manufactured goods, skilled labour and for specialised health, education, banking and other basic services. In like manner, urban areas depend on rural areas for fresh food, unskilled/semi-skilled labour and other environmental or cultural resources. However, the ability of both areas to significantly benefit from these linkages depends on the quality and availability of the infrastructures connecting them. This paper investigates the various challenges to effective rural-urban interdependence in Meme Division of Cameroon. It is based on primary data collected through questionnaires administered using the stratified random sampling technique among urban and rural inhabitants in Meme. Data have been analysed quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17.0 and the findings reveal that the rural and urban areas in Meme are socio-economically interdependent. However, the absence of adequate urban-rural infrastructures have impacted negatively on the people's access to basic needs and services particularly in the surrounding villages as one moves further away from the main urban centre, Kumba. The paper advocates for a conscious planning policy that enforces rural-urban interdependence through infrastructural development as a pathway for development in Meme Division, Cameroon.