A recent report from the Cameroonian National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) has unveiled the Ministry of Land Registry and Land Affairs as the most corruption-ridden sector in Cameroon for the year 2022. The report, which presented its findings on October 27, 2023, in Yaoundé, relied on 3,472 complaints submitted to CONAC.
According to the report, the Ministry of Land Registry and Land Affairs, commonly referred to as Mindcaf, topped the list with a staggering 20.3% of all complaints registered. The Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform, known as Minfopra, secured the second spot with 16.8% of the complaints, while the Ministry of Finance ranked third with 13.3%. The Ministry of Secondary Education and the Ministry of Public Procurement followed with 8.2% and 7.4% of the complaints, respectively.
Breaking down the findings:
- Ministry of Land Registry and Land Affairs (Mindcaf): Mindcaf received a troubling 705 complaints, constituting 20.3% of the total 3,472 registered on administrative platforms. These complaints cover a wide range of issues and draw attention to a worrying trend in the Henri Eyebe Ayissi-led department.
- Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform (Minfopra): Minfopra claimed the second position with 562 complaints (16.8%) in 2022. The allegations included “undue receipt of salary, forgery and use of forgery, and corruption in administrative competitions.”
- Ministry of Finance (MINFI): With its chief, Louis Motaze, at the helm, the Ministry of Finance took the third spot in terms of corruption. The complaints primarily revolved around “the practice of ‘percentages’ in payments and embezzlement of funds allocated to retirement pensions and reminders related to career acts.”
- Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC): MINESEC secured the fourth position with 285 complaints (8.2%). Issues involving mismanagement of APEE funds and irregularities in recruitment were the major concerns, as observed in the previous year.
- Ministry of Public Procurement (MINAMP): The Ministry of Public Procurement faced allegations of “corruption in the procurement process,” leading to its fifth-place ranking.
The report showed that most of the complaints were about things like getting paid too much, forgery, unfair administrative competition, unfair payment practices, theft of retirement and career-related funds, bad management of APEE funds, and problems with the hiring process.
While the report indicated a significant reduction in the total losses to the state due to corruption in 2022, falling from 43.9 billion CFA francs to 4.6 billion CFA francs compared to the previous year, CONAC emphasized that corruption remains a persistent issue in Cameroon.
The report called on the government to adopt more robust measures to combat corruption. It suggested reinforcing the capacity of CONAC and other anti-corruption agencies while increasing penalties for corruption-related offences. These actions are essential to curbing the pervasive problem of corruption in the country.
