In 2019, the Cameroon Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, known by its French acronym ART, imposed a fine of 3.5 billion FCFA on Orange Cameroun, MTN Cameroon, and Nexttel for breaching the regulations on subscriber identification.
That was after former notices had been sent to these telecommunications companies to regularise the situation. Owing to failures to identify people using the SIM cards issued by these companies, ART fined them 3.5 billion FCFA.
In 2023, these telecom companies fell under the dragnet of ART again. ART had notified them several times to improve on the poor service offered to Cameroonians.
Yet the complaints from ART fell on deaf ears. As such, ART imposed a penalty of 6 billion FCFA on Orange Cameroun, Camtel, MTN Cameroun, and Nexttel.
The $6 billion FCFA was distributed as fines to them based on the level of violations of regulations. So between 2019 and 2023, the ART imposed penalties of 9.5 billion Francs CFA on telecom companies.
Shocking revelation
Many Cameroonians who heard of these sanctions thought the penalties would be used to improve the services of mobile telephone companies in the country.
However, a confidential document has surfaced online where the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Minnitte Libom Lilikeng, is asking the Director of ART, Philémon Zo’o Zame, to channel the money to the ministry for distribution among staff of her ministry and ART.
Money that was received as penalties is now a performance bonus and is being shared as if it were private money. The confidential letter signed on April 9 and addressed to ART Director General 2024 has the subject: Distribution of Penalties.
“Mr. Director General, Following your letter cited in reference, by which you request my services, the production of certificates of effective presence, of the beneficiaries of the penalties, subject of my decision No. 00000026/MPT/SG/DAG/PSP of March 26, 2024, and my letter No. 00000913/MPT/SG/DAG/PSP of the same day, I have the honour to inform you that it is not up to the ART to interfere in the distribution of bonuses resulting from penalties, to the staff of my ministerial department.” Minister Lilikeng said.
“Indeed, by the provisions of Decree No. 2013/0401/PM of February 27, 2013, setting the distribution key for the performance bonus for penalties imposed on operators and operators of electronic communications networks, the Minister in charge of Telecommunications, the Director General of ART, and the Director General of ANTIC are responsible, each as far as they are concerned, for the execution of the said decree,” the letter added.
She, however, added that “for reasons of appeasement of the social climate, I have given you the list of beneficiaries for payment to those concerned, including their RIB, as well as the keys to the distribution of bonuses within the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, following your request, at the end of the working sessions with my competent colleagues.”
“While you have already left your scope of competence defined by law, you require certificates of effective presence falling within the competence of the structures concerned (MINPOSTEL, ANTIC), the only ones authorized to determine the criteria to be met by the beneficiaries.
“About MINPOSTEL, the payment statements were drawn up by an ad hoc working group, set up by memo No. 00000633/MPT/SG/DAG/PSP of February 21, 2024.”
“It is in this context obvious that the beneficiaries of the penalties for the period 2017-2020, subject of your letter N°00002540/ART/DG/CT1 of August 17, 2023, have to date held various administrative positions, including assets, retirees, those assigned or seconded, and the deceased.”
“Given the above and taking into account the risks in the social climate within the administrations concerned, I ask you to proceed without delay:
payment of the statements prepared by the entities concerned, which are responsible for the quality of the final beneficiaries and the respective bonuses allocated.
“Or, the transfer to each entity of its share, by the provisions of article 5 of decree No. 2013/0401/PM of February 27, 2013,” the letter stamped confidential read.
The Prime Ministerial text of 2013 being cited was signed by former Prime Minister Philemon Yang.
Through “Decree N2013/0401/PM OF FEB 27, 2013 setting the distribution key for the performance bonus for penalties imposed on operators and operators of electronic communications networks.”
The then PM, after considering so many laws, said, as per Article 3, that the distribution key for the penalties referred to in Article 1 above is set as follows: forty percent (40%) for the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency; and sixty percent (60%) for the performance bonus for personnel responsible for the regulation and regulation of the telecommunications and information and communication technologies sectors.
According to Article 4, the rate of sixty percent (60%) referred to in Article 3 above is distributed as follows: fifty percent (50%) for personnel responsible for regulations; forty percent (40%) for agency staff of Telecommunications Regulation; and ten percent (10%) for staff of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies.
The PM stated in Article 5 that the Minister in charge of telecommunications, the Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, and the Director General of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies are responsible, each as far as he is concerned, for the execution of this decree.
Who Is Benefiting?
When telecom companies render poor services to Cameroonians, ART charges them and gets the money for themselves.
The country’s telecom sector is still very poor. Businesses cannot flourish very well because of poor internet services and a lack of access to networks in rural areas.
Recently, a Cameroonian US-based tech woman said instead of banning the Starlink company for offering internet through satellite to Cameroonians, the government should just add more revenue to buy undersea optic fiber. But is the government interested? Because of the poor services rendered, those in charge of regulations benefit.
