(Business in Cameroon) - This month, Cameroon will start the dematerialization of its cash vouchers, the minister of finance Louis Paul Motaze (photo) informs. This dematerialization falls within the framework of actions initiated by the country to sanitize its payroll.

In the framework of the dematerialization process, the official indicates, the physical payment vouchers currently used for salaries below XAF100,000 will be replaced by electronic deeds. “This is aimed at both simplifying the civil servants’ salary payment procedure and greatly reducing frauds,” the minister explains.

In that regard, he invites active and retired civil servants to contact the various assigned accounting headings (general treasuries and revenues collection centers) with two photo IDs on the back of which they will write their full name, phone number, and service number. During physical operations for salaries or pension collection, they will fill a form and provide their fingerprints as well as a specimen of their signature.

Active and retired civil servants whose salaries are over or equal to XAF100,000 are invited to open accounts in accredited banks and microfinance institutions by December 31, 2019, else, their salaries will simply be suspended after that deadline.

Let’s note that this measure is initiated after the physical counting operation conducted in 2018. Launched in April 2018, the operation helped cancel more than 10,000 fictitious agents from the nation’s payroll and realized an annual saving of close to XAF30 billion.

Sylvain Andzongo