(Business in Cameroon) - The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) announced on March 1, 2024, that Cameroon has been suspended from its program "until its next validation”. The EITI Board expresses strong concern over breaches of the EITI protocol: Participation of civil society related to freedom of expression and association.

Despite making significant strides in areas such as transparency in extractive contracts and identifying actual beneficiaries, Cameroon has been recognized for its attempts to improve the availability of data on payments declared by extractive sector companies, including the national oil company, and on revenues received by the relevant government entities.

However, the EITI's international secretariat demands better involvement of civil society in the process. The institution's analysis indicates that the suspension serves as a message not only to the Cameroonian authorities but also to a Cameroonian civil society that needs to intensify its efforts.

The EITI document points out weaknesses in civil society engagement within the EITI and in its ability to use the process to influence public decision-making. These challenges relate to a lack of accountability among the majority of civil society representatives within the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) and broader governance issues.

Cameroon's next validation by the EITI is scheduled for April 2027, by which time the country must have addressed corrective measures for about twenty requirements. All stakeholders involved in the process must also have a clear understanding of the 2023 standard, which imposes stricter demands on issues such as actual ownership and energy transition topics.