GLORIOUS SEEDS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY BATA

GEOGRAPHY SS2
WEEK ONE
Manufacturing Industries as an Economic Activity:
Definition: Manufacturing industries are industries that deal with the transformation of products (raw
materials into finished or semi-finished items.

Classification of industries or economic activities.

Primary Industry or activity: Industries that are involved mainly in the extraction of natural resources
of the earth. They also called extractive industries. E.g. Agriculture, mining, forestry, fishing and
quarrying
Secondary Industries or activity: These are industries that are concern with the transformation of
products into finished and semi-finished items. E.g. Iron and steel industries, food processing industries,
textile industry. E.g. teaching,
Tertiary Industries or activity: industries that deal with the provision of services, e.g. teaching,
administrator, clerk and banker
Quaternary industries or activities: These recent industries that deals with high level of computing,
transformation and transmitting information through the media (computer), e.g. information and computer
technology (ICT).
Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary industry
industry industry industry
Farming Soap making Banking Media information
Fishing Brewing Hair Computer networking
dressing
Mining Fish processing Tourism ICT

Manufacturing industries can also be classified into light and heavy industries
Light industry. A light industry is an industry that is involve in the production of products that do not
have weight e.g. Textile industry uses cotton as raw material to produce cloth, paper and pulp, food
processing, Tourism
Heavy industries. These are industries that use bulky materials in the process of manufacturing to
produce bulky products e.g. Iron and Steel industries to produce ships, car assembly, ship building, and
automobile manufacture.
Light industry Heavy industry
Textile industry Iron and steal
Paper and pulp industry Car assembly
Food processing Automobile manufacture
News paper assembly Aircraft manufacture

Global Distribution of Industries

The distribution of industries in the world is uneven. This means that there are areas in the world with
high concentration of industries while others have low concentration while others don’t have at all. The
more developed or Advanced north has more industries than the least developed south, hence the North-
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South Divide. Industries in the world are globally distributed into three groups. The Advanced
Industrialized Countries (AICS), The Newly Industrializing Countries (NICS) and the Least Industrialised
Countries (LICs)
Industrial regions in the Advanced Industrialized Countries (AICS) include:
The Saar Loraine in France. The Great Lakes industrial region of North East USA. The Rhur Westphaslia
industrial region in Germany
Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) These are countries with fast developing economies undergoing
rapid economic growth but have not yet reached the Developed world. They include: Singapore, South
Korea, Taiwan others are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa
Industrial regions in the Least Industrialized Countries (AICs) include:
North Takoradi industrial regions in Ghana. Coastal, Northern and central industrial regions in Cameroon.
Central, South East and South West Industrial regions of Nigeria. Accra-Tema

Industrialisation ln the Least Industrialized Countries (LICs)

The process of manufacturing industries in the Least Industrialised Countries (LICs) is rather very slow
and low. The type of industries here are mainly light processing industries. Practically there are no heavy
industries
Characteristics of industries in the Least Industrialized Countries (LICS)
 Most industries are at the primary industry exploiting natural resources such as agriculture, forestry,
fishing, and mining
 Industries are processing industries such as food processing, textile and forest
 Heavy manufacturing industries such as iron and steel, ship building, Hi-tech industries are absent.
Reasons for the low level of industries in the less developed countries
 Lack of skilled labour like engineers, architects, which are very scarce in the less developed country.
This is as a result of the low technical and vocational schools found here.
 Transport: Most areas in less developed countries are inaccessible. Whereas large scale industries
need good road and railway to collect raw materials and distribute finished products to the market.
 Capital: A very huge amount of capita is needed to establish industries which less develops countries
do not have.
 Power: Industrialization needs heavy consumption of electricity and since the less develop countries
do not have enough capita, so too cannot afford the cost of electrification for industrialization
especially heavy industries. More so, power shortage and failure is very common in less develop
countries.
 Political instability: Civil wars, military takeover, political change, strikes are common in less
develop countries. Industries need a conducive environment, so foreign investors are often
discouraged to set up industries in such areas.
 Industrialization in the Advanced Industrialised countries (AICs)
 Manufacturing industries are concentrated in the Advanced Industrialized Countries (AICs)

Reasons or factors for high level of industrialization in the Advanced Industrialized Countries
(AICs)
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 Available skilled and specialized labour force: The AICs have a skilled specialized labour force in
performing different industrial functions and operations.
 High purchasing power: AICs have high standard of living as they are able to afford relatively what
they need.
 Reliable financial Institutions: Financial institutions such as banks are ready to give out at
favourable conditions, loans to investors at moreover are ready to cover insurance companies risk for
investors
 Confident entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs in the AICs are ready to venture into any risk taking in
order to set up an industry. They are indeed risky bearers.
 Good transport and communication systems: Advanced Industrialized Countries have the best and
modern developed transport systems. This facilitate the assembly of raw materials to the factories and
equally the distribution (dispatch) of finished manufactured products to the markets. Other
communication networks such as internet, fax, telephone are fast, ready and reliable.

WEEK TWO
Industrial Agglomeration (Localization)
This is the concentration or location of different industries in the same area. It is a situation where
different industries are concentrated or grouped in a particular area. It can also be referred to as
localization of an industry.
Reasons or factors favouring industrial agglomeration
Presence of numerous resources: An area that have a lot of resources such as raw materials, good
climate, power attract a lot of industries
Enough land. Areas that possess vast land are good sites for industries. Such land helps in the assembly
and operation of machines, parking and for future expansion.
Ready market: Areas with a large population provides a ready market for industrial productions. That is
the more reason towns, cities, often have many industries
Ready and cheap labour: Densely populated areas usually have a large pool of labour force needed by
industries
Favourable government policies: The creation of free industrial zones, tax holidays, granting of
sunsidies, grants, subventions and providing social facilities are government ways of encouraging
industrial concentration in particular areas.
The Theory of Industrial Location
Alfred Weber’s Least Coast Location theory (Optimum location)
Alfred Weber’s Least Cost Location model explains that an industry will be located in an area where the
costs of transporting the raw material and the finished product are low. He therefore insisted on the role of
transport costs when choosing the location of an industry. At the least cost location or optimum location
point, the industry will maximize profits and minimize costs.
Alfred Weber’s assumptions
1. The area is typically uniform or isotropic in form of terrain or relief, climate, soils, economic system,
technology and distribution of population.
2. Manufacturing involves single product at a time and the products is supplied to a single market.
 GLORIOUS SEEDS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY BATA
3. Raw materials are not evenly distributed in space but at a few known and fixed locations which are
available at equal transportation cost throughout.
4. Markets are known as fixed at specific places.
5. The distribution of labour is fixed, as are wages at any specific location. Wages, however, can vary
from one location to another. This means that labour was not mobile and thus not affected by the
location of industries.
6. Transport costs are uniform and tend to increase with increasing linear distance and weight of material
transported. Transport routes are not fixed but connect origin and destination by the shortest distance.
7. There is a perfect market competition.
The use of locational triangles:
Weber used simplified triangles assuming two points of transporting raw materials to a single market. He
then considered three locational points namely:
Triangle A, shows location closer to source of raw material because the raw material has weight (2kg)
than the finished product (1kg). Least cost location is closer to source of raw material because the waste
will be eliminated during manufacturing. This is a weight losing or raw material oriented industry
Triangle B, shows a location closer to the market, because the finished product has weight (2kg) more
than the raw material (1kg). The least cost location is closer to the market to reduce cost of transportation.
This type of industry is a weight gaining or market oriented industry.
Triangle C, the industry is located midway between the market and industry because both the finished
product and raw material has the same weight. These are industries that are not influenced by any
particular factor Footloose or intermediate industries.

Conclusion of Alfred Weber Alfred

Weber concluded that Industries whose finished product lose weight after manufacturing (weight loosing
industries) should locate closer to their sources of raw material to reduce cost of transportation. Industries
whose products gain weight after manufacturing (weight gaining industries) should be located closer to
the market.

WEEK THREE
Manufacturing Industries in Cameroon
Before the introduction of modern industries in Cameroon by the colonial masters in transforming raw
materials into finished and semi finished products. Cameroonians have already been practicing local craft
industries.
Industrial Regions of Cameroon
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Cameroon can be classified into 4 industrial zones which are the northern industrial region, the centre
industrial region, western industrial triangle and the coastal industrial region.
1. The Northern industrial Region - This industrial region is located in the northern lowlands covering
the Adamawa plateau northwards including Garoua, Diamare plains and the Lake Chad basins.
Industrial clusters here include Garoua, Maroua, Figuil, Kaele, and Pitoa. These various
manufacturing industries use local agricultural materials for manufacturing or other sources are
imported as represented below. Northern industrial zones
The various industries found here include
 Garoua CICAM produce cloth from cotton by SODECOTON.
 Maroua has meat canning from cattle reared at the Adamawa plateau, equally leather works like
shoes, belts, bags and caps production from hides/skins of cattle.
 Kaele has a cotton mill and ginnery using cotton from SODECOTON.
 Figuil has a cement factory controlled by CIMENCAM. Which manufactures cement from
limestone deposits available at Bidzar.
 Pitoa has a groundnut mill
 Yagoua has rice hulling mills controlled by SEMRY.

2. The Central Industrial Region - This industrial region covers the Southern low plateau of
Cameroon. It makes up about 18% of manufacturing industries within the country. The centre
industrial clusters include Yaoundé, Mbalmayo and Mbandjock. These industrial clusters are involved
in the production of varied commodities as represented below.
 The Yaoundé industrial region: This is the political capital of Cameroon and where the Sit of
the government is found. It is the core of this industrial region. The various industries within this
Zone include Breweries like Brasseries du Cameroun are involve in beer production and soft
drinks. BASTOS and BAT (British/American Tobacco Company) manufacture cigarettes using
tobacco grown at Batouri and Batchenga in the East region. Sawmills also exist in Yaoundé
providing plywood, timber for furniture and construction.
 The Mbandjock industrial cluster: This is an agro-industrial cluster located some 90km away
from Yaoundé. It has a sugar plantation basically at Mbandjock and Nkoteng which is used to
refine sugar. Two major companies are involve in sugar production within this industrial cluster
CAMSUCO and SOSUCAM.
 Mbalmayo Industrial Cluster: Here the main industrial focus is on plywood and veneer
production using timber obtained at the South forested regions. The company is COCAM.

3. The Coastal Industrial Region - This is the main, rather core industrial region of Cameroon
covering about 70% of all manufacturing industries in the entire country. Douala is the main cluster
for the coastal industries and is the economic capital of the country. The coastal industrial region
covers three main industrial clusters namely: The Douala centre, the Limbe Tiko zone, and the Edea
zone. The various industries found here include Food processes industries, Petro-chemical industries,
Metallurgical industries.

4. The Western Industrial Triangle (WIT) - This is a new emerging industrial region in Cameroon. It
is located in the western highlands Dschang, Bafoussam, Foumban in the western region. This is a
young industrial region in Cameroon still growing made up of mainly light processing industries. The
different processing industries here are food processing, chemical industries and wood processing
industries. All these industries are raw material oriented industries locating closer to their raw
material sources.
Reasons for low level of industrialization in Cameroon
The slow rate of industrialization in Cameroon is because of the following reasons.
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Inadequate capital: Many Cameroonians are poor and do not have the enough capital required to set up
an industry.
Inadequate markets: Cameroonians have low purchasing power and more so, home made goods are
very expensive. Many Cameroonians prefer imported cheap products. Transport problems: Many areas in
Cameroon are remote and inaccessible.
Inadequate energy supply: Industries need a constant ready supply of enough energy which is absent in
Cameroon. The energy of Cameroon H.E.P. is low and experiences frequent and constant shortages, black
outs are daily, so does not encourage industries at al.
Poor government policies: Many government owned industries have failed due to mismanagement and
embezzlement of state funds. Inadequate skilled labour: Many Cameroonian Jabour forces are unskilled,
many do not attend technical schools to obtain the professional certificates, and they prefer general
education. As such, the industrial sector greatly relies on foreign imported labour force from Asia, Europe
and North America which increases production cost.
Solutions to industrial problems in Cameroon
 Energy and power supply. The government has created new H.E.P. projects like the Lom Pangar in
the East region, Memvele over river Ntem in the South to regulate constant and ready energy.
 Skilled Labour is gradually being made available through professional universities and technical
schools e.g. the Yaounde engineering school.
 Cameroon’s market size is gradually being expanded upon through exports of her products to the
CEMAC ZONE.
 Transport development is being handled as many roads are being constructed now linking the
hinterlands and the urban centres. This will go along way to facilitate easy fashioning of raw
materials to the factories.
 Capital for industrial development is being provided by S.N.I. The National Investment Fund. Small
and Medium Sized enterprises are subsidized and given grants at low interest rates.