Cambridge dictionary defines corruption as dishonest or illegal behaviour including a person in a position of power. Over the years in Cameroon, corruption is a daily reality, with cases ranging from government institutions, private institutions to international institutions as it’s mentioned in this study done by the Nkafu Institute. According to the Cameroon Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC), last year Cameroon lost 114.03 billion FCFA to corruption. This report was made public on September 26 2024. This figure is 109.4 billion FCFA higher than the 4.6 billion FCFA reported in 2022. This loss is the worst recorded in the last five years. This information was contained in an article published by Business in Cameroon on their website on October 1,2024.
In Cameroon, the digital space has increasingly become a vital medium for denouncing corruption, providing a platform for transparency, accountability, and public mobilization. With the rise of social media, blogs, and online news outlets, Cameroonians are able to expose corrupt practices, often bridging the restrictions imposed by traditional media. A typical example of this was witnessed during the Glencore scandal where Cameroonian institutions were accused of receiving bribes to ease the smooth functioning of its activities. This stirred reactions online from prominent state personalities to even the replacement of some key position holders and other reactions on various social media platforms.
In recent times, more persons have denounced corrupt practices through social media platforms, this could be explained by citizens’ mistrust of the state. Many citizens perceive government institutions, law enforcement forces and courts as compromised or ineffective in addressing corruption, so rather than going to competent authorities and institutions to report cases of corruption, a good number of citizens prefer to express themselves through online platforms, by providing pictures, videos or messages with information to back up their claims. This can be explained in the sense that citizens do not trust the authorities to take their case in charge fully or provide solutions or even sanction the perpetrators of such acts properly, due to their past experiences, that of their loved ones or those they came across online.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02589346.2024.2344276#d1e1229
Due to the facility offered by social media, users are open to anonymous sources. This hidden identity gives one the opportunity to express themselves freely without anyone identifying or pursuing any legal actions against them. Hence, they are free from sanctions as their identity remains unknown.
Again, users from various parts of the country are encouraged to speak up through social media, hence creating awareness on the challenges others are facing with respect to corruption, through the constant updates on websites people get to follow up on daily happenings. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2014/12/how-to-use-social-media-to-fight-corruption/
Also, activists like Nzui Manto, Remi Tassing,Ndi Nancy Saiboh have vested efforts at the local level by using their social media handles and other tools at their disposal to denounce corruption.
Establishing the relationship between social media and corruption in Africa, a report on Science Direct empirically investigated the impact of mobile phone penetration, internet adoption and the interaction effect between the two on corruption by focusing specifically on Sub Saharan Africa and the results revealed that Cellphones are powerful tools for reducing corruption. Another article on this website on the role ICT diffusion plays in combating corruption revealed that policies based on the use of internet and mobile phones are effective in combating corruption in Africa but need to be strengthened by greater law enforcement. Hence, this report aims to establish the role social media has played as an effective medium to denounce corruption in Cameroon.
BODY
The CONAC annual report
The 2024 annual report made Public by CONAC was divided in four parts with part one focusing on prevention activities against corruption, part two on sanctions, part three on the fight against money laundering and recovery of assets derived from corruption and part four on cooperation both at local and international levels, in the fight against corruption. However, it shows a drop in the number of Local Councils that reported on anti-corruption activities as well as religious bodies. Some key state institutions including the Ministry of Territorial Administration and the General Delegation for National Security did not also send their contributions. A situation decried by the Chairman of CONAC.
Again, according to the report, the chairman of CONAC, Rev Dr Dieudonne Massi Gams revealed that the body received over 7,548 denunciations in 2023, surpassing the 7.061 cases registered in 2022, stating that more and more persons are in support of the fight against corruption. When this report was made public, various online Newspapers and blogs posted this story.
Cameroon news agency is one of the sites who uploaded a post on this topic. The comment section being a space where individuals have the liberty to react to a post, from the above, the first comment tables the day to day challenge of a common Cameroonian parent who has to struggle to cater for her kids, the second seeks to know how this money can be refunded while the third comment glamours for change. All these gear towards ralling efforts to fight corruption.
The Glencore scandal and Barrister Akere Muna’s activism
Another instance of corruption that went viral was the Glencore scandal, The United States Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office, announced on May 24,2022, that the Anglo-Swiss multinational, Glencore, confessed to paying about $79.6 million (roughly 50 billionCFA), between 2007 to 2018, to intermediaries to secure and maintain contracts with state-run entities in Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and South Sudan. Glencore’s lawyer revealed that approximately 7 billionFCFA in bribes had been paid to the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) and National Refining Company ( SONARA) officials to boost Glencore’s operations in Cameroon.
When this information was made public, the former general manager of SONARA Claude Sime Njonou did not comment, his predecessor Charles Metouck at the Kondengui prison said he never signed any contract with Glencore during his term of office.On the other hand, the Executive General Manager of SNH Adolphe Moudiki defended his company in a press release saying it was “ neither remotely nor closely associated with such practices, strictly prohibited by its internal regulations”.
On November 6, 2023, SNH lodged a complaint at the Special Criminal Court, SCC, “to determine the Cameroonian accomplices in the corruption”. The Executive General Manager of SNH added that with the date now known for suspects to stand trial in London, “SNH is optimistic that the outcome of the trial” will facilitate investigations in Cameroon.
Following this scandal, Cameroonian politician and anti- corruption crusader Akere Muna was the talk of many social media platforms due to his online support to ensure that the guilty are punished appropriately. On his X- account he made a publication which has 3.9 thousand views,amongst other things Barrister Akere Muna questioned why Cameroonian crude oil was sold at a 30% discount below market price and why some transactions involved even deeper discounts. Oil was sold to Vitol, a company facing corruption allegations at a 70% discount according to him. https://x.com/akeremuna/status/1819550003527876636?s=46
Apart from opinion leaders, like Akere Muna, other instances of corruption have prompted reactions online, an example is this report on X concerning the Cameroon military forces : According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance on August 22, 2024,an audit, initiated in 2022, uncovered approximately 12,846 fraudulent birth certificates and at least one false claim among 4,300 retirees (including 418 from the police and 3,842 from the military), along with 43 widows receiving fraudulent survivor benefits. This led to a reduction in their usual payments.This change was due to the suspension of family allowances linked to the number of children they claimed to have.The ministry explained that this “precautionary measure” was implemented as part of a joint task force involving the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense, and the National Security Delegation.
The said audit was conducted to “clean up” the state payroll after it was observed that the family allowances for retired military and police personnel, based on the number of children over 16 (or 20 for police), had rapidly increased. The hike in allowances from 2010 to 2021 strained the sustainability of the pension system hence leading to government deficit.
To prevent further losses, the government suspended these payments in July 2024. A dispute resolution phase was immediately opened to allow affected retirees to contest the suspension. However, The National anti- Corruption of Cameroon, CONAC , on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, launched a nationwide campaign against the use of fake certificates. The campaign target students who resort to the fabrication of fake certificates to gain recruitment especially into the public service. Messages on the implications, in the use of fake certificates, which has become a major preoccupation in recruitments into the public service, in the country, were popularised.
Corruption in public procurement in Cameroon by Remi Tassing
In the fight against corruption in Cameroon, some individuals have become activists giving the masses the opportunity to speak up and be informed. Remi Tassing is a software developer fighting injustice in Cameroon.As a member of the citizen movement “Standup For Cameroon” Remi Tassing dedicates his time in scrutinizing the allocation of public contracts. His analysis often reveals discrepancies and raises questions on the transparency and efficiency of public spending, thereby prompting public discourse on these issues. In an article published by Cameroon Actu Online Sourced from RFI, Remi gives insight on his recent actions and his interest in the public procurement code, the code of transparency and good governance in the management of public finances and important documents which he says is not respected. Through his X account, which is aimed at denouncing corrupt practices, Only from the “About” of Katika 237, it is clear where he stands. https://katika237.com/ his commitment to this course fuels him further into updating the account on recent happenings which also keeps people informed.
https://twitter.com/tassingremi/status/1868870061366350084?s=46
Civil Society Organizations Actions online
In the same light, Ndi Nancy Saiboh is another anti-corruption advocate who is the Country Coordinator for “Follow the Money – Cameroon”, an institution that seeks to ensure improved and increased accountability in the government procurement process, as well as ensure accountability for public finance meant for community and social development. She is often referenced as an exemplary activist because of the efforts she and her team have put in the fight against corruption with the local association “Actions for Development and Empowerment” (ADE), they have implemented several initiatives both on social media and at the local level to promote transparency and accountability, particularly in Cameroon through the following ways :
1) Social Media Advocacy Campaigns: Using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to raise awareness about corruption in public sectors, particularly during their COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP). Through this, they highlighted mismanagement of health funds and vaccine distribution irregularities. More to this, their digital campaigns often include infographics, videos, and citizen stories to make the information relatable and actionable.
2) Community Engagement:At the local level, they organized town hall meetings and forums across five regions in Cameroon to educate citizens about their rights and empower them to demand accountability. Also collaborated with grassroots organizations to strengthen citizens’ capacity to monitor public spending.
3) FollowtheMoney Cameroon: coordinating efforts to track budget allocations and expenditures to ensure funds are used for their intended purposes. The work involved publishing reports and engaging with local authorities to address discrepancies.
4) Training and Capacity Building: ADE has trained youth and community leaders on using digital tools to monitor government projects and report corruption. These sessions empower participants to leverage technology for accountability.
Nzui Manto Phenomenon
Nzui Manto is another whistleblower who cuts across diversified topics but give each and everyone the privilege to express themselves on his various social media platforms, with his massive follower base he uploads societal happenings on a daily, he is one of the major platforms used by Cameroonians to denounce Bribery and corruption
INDIVIDUAL INITIATIVES
In addition to the increasing number of actions taken by activists and public and private organizations on social networks to expose corruption, the web is also witnessing the emergence of citizen initiatives led by individuals to denounce, track down, raise awareness of or disprove cases of corruption. For example, in this video posted on Youtube, an audio extract appears to be a telephone call between a journalist and a member of the Ministry of Higher Education, exposing a network of corruption in the latter’s competitive entrance exams.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Social media platforms pave the way for accountability and social support. In the past, some social media activists have been jailed for expressing themselves, even without knowing what the charges against them are, most people turn to fear and abstain from using their own social media handles. Meanwhile, when people express themselves on instances where they have been victims of corruption, it creates awareness and others are encouraged to support, at times even join their voices to call on the government’s attention on a particular issue which at times gets resolved. As it’s stated in this article.
To maximize the effectiveness of digital combat against corruption, the following can be done :
- Web Journalists should promote critical thinking to combat misinformation and disinformation that may be used to discredit anti- corruption efforts, by organizing workshops for reporting corruption, verification of facts and digital literacy programs.
- The government should create legal frameworks that protect online whistleblowers from retaliation, especially when they can prove their claims. This will encourage more victims or witnesses of corruption to speak up.
- Government should embrace transparency in its digital governance, such as publishing contracts, budgets and expenditures online. Digital platforms can then be used for public oversight and to flag instances of mismanagement or corruption, hence their digital platforms should always be up to date.
- Individuals on their part should uphold integrity, stay away from corrupt practices and educate everyone around them on the dangers of corruption and the effect on their day to day life.
- Again, they should engage in civic actions, by supporting and participating in anti- corruption campaigns,workshops and community activities organized by anti corruption activists
- Individuals should familiarize themselves with the laws, rights and procedures in Cameroon, to avoid exploitation. By doing so, they will be apt to teach the younger generation to uphold ethical values and reject corrupt behaviours.
CONCLUSION
The digital space has proven to be a vital medium for denouncing corruption in Cameroon. It offers a powerful platform for citizens, journalists, and activists to expose corrupt practices, bypassing traditional media censorship and government control. Through social media, citizen journalism, online petitions, and digital campaigns, individuals can hold public officials accountable, raise awareness, and mobilize collective action. Despite challenges like government surveillance, censorship, and potential legal repercussions, the online space continues to foster transparency, amplify marginalized voices, and enable global solidarity. As technology and internet access expand, the digital space will likely play an even more critical role in the ongoing fight against corruption, pushing for greater accountability and reforms in Cameroon.
