(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon has always put its human resources' qualities forward and currently it is starting up to diversify a large amount of its procedures, especially in the technical higher education system. However, this generous workforce does not prevent the foreign workers from investing new professional sectors such as mining.

In order to attract foreign investors, the Cameroonian Authorities have never stopped boasting the qualities of Cameroon's workforce, described as being well-trained, competitive and inexpensive. That proves to be a true statement. In fact, soon after its independence, Cameroon invested significantly into youth training by increasing the number of technical secondary schools and prestigious schools of university levels where more than 1000 executive managers graduated (engineers, physicians,..) without mentioning the other 50 000 students who were granted academic diplomas from various universities and sectors , from social sciences to fundamental sciences.

The public offer of training for workforce is based on a network of seven state universities which are divided into thirty or so graduate schools (polytechnics, agronomic sciences, civil engineering, management and business schools, communication, media and advertising schools, rural engineering schools, colleges for civil servants, agribusiness colleges, etc). Beside this public offer of high quality training, the private higher education system has offered a large diversity of continuing education for the Cameroonian workforce during the last past years. Almost 30 000 students have selected these private institutions in order to set up for diplomas (vocational training certificate, vocational B.A, masters...) in sectors which were so far not taught at the state universities.

Each year, in Yaoundé, the trade fair offers guidance on careers to approximately 15 000 students in sixth grade. 

Toward « privatization »

According to Roger Tsafack Nanfoso, an economic lecturer at Yaoundé University,who wrote a report in 2007 , the main reasons to explain the success of these private schools are the following :"the worsening of conditions for training personnel in the national state universities concerning the ratios of teachers/students as well as the reception facilities; the static training offers relentlessly divided between some universities and some schools teaching general subjects such as sciences, arts, law, economy and management; the financial difficulties encountered by students whose parents can not afford to pay the fees; the choice for selecting short term trainings in order to widen the rhythm and social integration in the work market thanks to the diplomas obtained two years after the end of high-school".

Actually, the 30 000 students registered at private universities have more advantageous conditions (for instance a ratio of 1teacher per 10 students instead of 1reacher per 1000 students in the public higher education system) as well as a more diverse and career-oriented training.Private universities try to make up for these deficiencies encountered in the public higher education system by offering flexibility in the training learning sessions ( evening classes, sliding time, short-term trainings). The 30 000 students attending a private university have more advantageous conditions (for instance a ratio of 1teacher per 10 students instead of 1reacher per 1000 students in the public higher education system) as well as a more diverse and career-oriented training. According to Professor Tsafack Nanfosso, "the private higher education system has significantly increased the graduate training offer, by offering a renewal of the existing courses or by implementing new original career subjects fitting in the new emerging needs of the employment market and by leading to a somewhat "privatization" of public universities with the creation of new professional paths. Thanks to the private sector, the number of courses have gone from 20 to almost a hundred within 15 years".

Foreign workers

This human taskforce is not an impediment to the welcoming of foreign workers in Cameroon. Most of these expatriates - coming from various countries but mainly from France – work in multinational's local subsidiaries. More and more Cameroonian traders appeal to French expertise to conduct their projects ( banks, insurances, industries, forestry, etc...).. This trend can also be explained by the lack of workforce in some sectors where the local Authorities did not have the necessary time to train their managers. For instance, the starting up of mining project in cobalt or bauxite has highlighted the lack of engineers specialized in mining. It is a sector that will probably employ more than hundreds of skilled workers from Europe as these mining fields are among the most important in the world.

In order to settle down and work in Cameroon, the expatriate, once having negotiated his work contract, would have to apply for a work visa at the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. In general, it is a mere formality.

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