(Business in Cameroon) - In H1-2020, Cameroon’s salary expenses for its entire servants was XAF489.5 billion, according to a government document attached to the 2021 finance law. That amount does not include the XAF116.2 billion state pensions paid during the said period.

66.6% (XAF326.5 billion) of the salary expenses were paid to servants in two main sectors: those under the Ministry of Defense (military, gendarmerie, and some civilians) and teachers under the Ministries of Secondary Education (Minesec) and Basic Education (Minedub). 

With a staff of 91,177 (26.7% of the State's total) as of June 30, 2020, Minesec alone captured 33.75% (XAF165.2 billion) of the State's wage bill during the period under review. The next administration that captured the second-highest wage bill is the Ministry of Defense (Mindef) with 17% of the wage bill corresponding to XAF83.9 billion over six months. The Minedub came next with XAF77.4 billion, or 15.8% of the total wage bill at the end of June 2020.

This predominance of the education and defense expenses in the country’s wage bill is the result of the mass recruitments organized every year in those sectors. For instance, between January 2010 and  June 2020, the number of secondary school teachers increased 2.7 folds.

Meanwhile, there is a significant decrease in the number of servants in some segments of the productive sector. Those segments include agro-industry, mining, telecoms, health as well as translation and interpretation. This is a paradox for the country whose 2030 Vision is to transform the economy by developing the manufacturing sector and capitalizing on the opportunities offered by the digital sector.  

Brice R. Mbodiam