The main economic activity of the population in the rural parts of the catchment is subsistence farming but other income‐generating  activities  are  also  carried  out.  In  the primary sector these includes the production of cash crops, especially cacao, plantations of which are common all over the catchment. Palm‐oil production for food preparation takes place on a relatively small scale. Animal husbandry (chicken, but also some goats and sheep) is mainly a subsistence activity, but a few wealthier farmers produce cattle for the local market in Yaoundé.

The main sources of non‐agrarian income are fishing, aquaculture and selling of timber and related products, e.g. for electricity poles. There are a few small enterprises and shops, so working as a taxi driver (“benskin”) is the major source of income in the tertiary sector.