<p>Cameroon. Governance and Development. Local Environments. Information on Cameroon, about history of environmental development; This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to provide an account of why Buea is still backward in terms of socio-economic development. It examines the role of Local Governments (LGs) in rural development in supposedly democratic decentralized systems via the framework of empowerment. In other words, what are the consequences when power is devolved from the central government to the LGs? The study is conducted in the South West Province of Cameroon and in Buea precisely, which has its own peculiarities in both demographic and ecological terms when we closely observe rural areas and its associated concerns. The study argues that political empowerment is a necessary prerequisite in development. This perspective also assumes that political decentralization enhances empowerment which provides an appropriate framework for responding efficiently to the needs of the local populace</p>