State Manoeuvres in Hotel Acquisitions in Cameroon: An Analysis of the Ringway Hotel Saga, 1962- 1992

Since the independence and reunification of Cameroon in 1960/61, state engagements in hotel provisioning has
been one of the essential socio-economic devotions. Decision making in this sector has most often largely
depended on administrative preferences than well-versed managerial pointers. Consequently, some state
ventures in this direction have been characterised by, inappropriate forecasting and mismanagement. These
setbacks in the long run culminate in the collapse of public hotel investments. Based on primary and secondary
sources and informed by qualitative analysis, this article profiles a crucial case of a public hotel investment, the
Ringway Hotel in the chief town of Bamenda (Cameroon) as it quivered and writhed for survival. It argues that
the purchase and management of the hotel was trapped in controversies involving but not limited to the strategic
interest of the state and different stakeholders. The state purchase and operational principles of the hotel did not
fluidly align with the desire for which its purchase was envisioned. This had as long run consequence, the
collapse of the Ringway hotel.