Cameroon’s Informal Sector: A Lever for Poverty Allviation Kingsly Awang Ollong, PhD University of Bamenda awangollong@yahoo.fr Abstract The focus of this paper stems from an observed general negligence of the informal sector in development policies and national accounting. This has been the case irrespective of the fact that the sector has been noted as accounting for about 21 percent of total employment in Sub- Saharan African countries, and about 38 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in Cameroon. The rapid growth of the informal economy in developing countries, particularly Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA), is evidenced by the increasingly important contribution it has to a developing country's GDP. The informal economy is now directly linked to the main objectives of development; increased production, job creation and combating poverty. Many countries in SSA have recognised the importance of the informal economy and policies to assist it are often included in country Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. This paper explores implication of the informal sector in the development of Cameroon’s economy. Keywords: Informal economy, economic growth, economic development, poverty eradication, economic crisis, unemployment Introduction Cameroon has evolved in terms of economic, social and political changes since independence. In many cases these changes required conformity to new rules and restrictions imposed by the government. Since independence, the government has been reforming and creating new institutions necessary for effective management of the public sector and the creation of favourable conditions for private sector development. An alternative for those not capable or not willing to abide by formal regulations has been to carry out activities informally or to conceal them from the government authorities. All such hidden activities accumulate to have contributed to the growth of the informal economy. The informal economy has existed for centuries, but the