Cameroon: Foreign workers ordered to pay taxes or be deported.

By David Atangana

Foreign nationals working illegally in Cameroon have been given one month to regularise their residence permits, pay taxes, or leave the country, VOA has reported.

The government has, in effect, suspended the work contracts of several thousand foreign workers, including Africans, Chinese, and Europeans, until compliance with the regulations in force.

Cameroon is home to at least 11,000 foreign workers, with more than 10,500 of them without work permits.

According to government officials, only about 100 of more than 2,000 foreign workers from China, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Chad are authorised to work in gold mines and export timber near Cameroon’s eastern border with the Central African Republic.

“A majority of foreign workers are acting in bad faith. By not paying taxes, foreign workers have deprived Cameroon of more than $25 million since January,” Employment and Vocational Training Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakaty told VOA.

Minister Issa Tchiroma also said, “This week government officials in Cameroon’s 360 districts were ordered to make sure foreign workers obtain work permits and pay taxes or leave within 30 days.”

The central African nation is witnessing an influx of foreign nationals-mostly Chinese and Europeans following a relaunch of construction, mining, and exploration for gas and oil in the Country.

Frowning at the massive influx of foreigners, the government said it is not acceptable to allow illegal foreign workers in the country when 70% of the country’s population is unemployed.

It should be noted that the employment of foreign workers is subject to special procedures in Cameroon.

Potential workers are obliged to declare their wages and allowances, including transportation and accommodation, which are used to determine how much is paid to obtain a visa.

A 2022 law institutes a fee equivalent to two months’ wages for non-African workers and one month’s wages for African workers before work permits are issued. The law went into effect this year