By: Mr. Raphael Nkolwoudou Afane, Doctor of Law, Legal Ops Officer.
Cameroon, often referred to as “Africa in miniature”, presents a striking paradox: exceptional human, cultural, and natural wealth, but a governance system that seems stuck in the quicksand of inefficiency and corruption. The potholed roads of Douala, power outages and uncollected garbage in Yaoundé, Kafkaesque administrative delays, opaque public tenders, and clientelist appointments are not just anecdotes: they are symptoms of a state struggling to reinvent itself.
Following the recent presidential elections, the country once again finds itself facing its old demons: electoral disputes, weakened institutions, a struggling economy, and a disillusioned youth.
However, in this grim picture, a glimmer of hope emerges if there is a real willingness to energize the country of our ancestors – that of artificial intelligence (AI). What if technology became the lever for a new governance? What if AI, well thought out and well regulated, finally allowed us to break free from the status quo, to break the chains of corruption, to strengthen public skills, and to restore confidence to citizens?
1. AI against corruption: a transparency revolution
Corruption in public tenders represents a persistent scourge. In Cameroon, the current system relies too much on the discretionary judgment of officials, creating loopholes for embezzlement. Take the concrete example of road construction contracts: how can we think that a highway connecting the 2 capitals Douala and Yaoundé has still not been completed since 2014? And what about the Ebolowa-Akom2-Kribi road, intended to link the southern capital to the port city of Kribi (less than 200 kms), announced with great fanfare in 2011 at the agricultural trade fair by President Paul Biya?
If there is a real willingness on the part of the public authorities, we believe that by integrating an AI algorithm, we could analyze all submissions in real time, compare unit prices with national benchmarks, and detect suspicious anomalies. For example, if three companies submit bids with price differentials of less than 1% on a complex lot, the system could automatically alert the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority for further investigation.
Blockchain offers another powerful lever. Imagine an immutable register to track every public expenditure, from budget commitment to final payment. Each actor – ministry, company, bank – would record their actions in this chain of trust. A project to build a football stadium (allusion to the unfinished Paul Biya stadium in Olembé) with funds passing through opaque accounts would immediately trigger alerts. The World Bank has already successfully experimented with this system in some countries, reducing embezzlement on monitored projects by up to 80%.
2. Predictive and proactive administration
Our administration suffers from chronic heaviness. The process of starting a business, which currently takes several weeks, could be reduced to 48 hours through an intelligent one-stop shop. Specifically, a project developer would fill out a dynamic online form, where AI would automatically generate statutes tailored to their activity, check the availability of the trade name, and pre-fill tax declarations. The system would cross-reference data between the commercial register, taxes, and customs to eliminate the frequent contradictions that block files. Rwanda is often cited as an African model in digital governance. This success in business creation in Rwanda illustrates how technology can transform public administration and stimulate investment. Starting a business in Rwanda is remarkably fast: it can be done in less than 24 hours, and sometimes even in just 6 hours thanks to the complete digitization of the process.
Why is it so fast?
• Digital one-stop shop: The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) offers an online platform that centralizes all administrative procedures related to starting a business.
• Paperless: Registration is done entirely online, without the need for physical travel or printed documents.
• Real-time tracking: Entrepreneurs can track the progress of their file via an integrated messaging system and a secure cloud.
• International accessibility: Even foreigners can start their business from abroad, without having to go to Rwanda.
3. Inequitable justice
Justice, a fundamental pillar of society, unfortunately does not escape the corruption that plagues many sectors in Cameroon. Several factors contribute to a general perception that justice is corrupt and does not operate fairly. The perception of corruption in the justice system in Cameroon is based on several factors:
• Inaccessibility and Equity – many citizens believe that the judicial system is biased, favoring those with powerful political or financial ties. Cases involving influential individuals often seem to receive more lenient treatment.
• Case transmission – allegations of bribes to influence judicial decisions or to advance routine cases. This phenomenon undermines public confidence in the integrity of judicial decisions.
• Lack of resources – Cameroon’s judicial system suffers from a lack of resources and infrastructure, which can lead to trial delays and despair for litigants seeking redress.
• Political interference – executive influence on the judicial system is often reported, with accusations that judges may come under pressure to make decisions in the interests of influential government members.
• Climate of fear – in some cases, lawyers and judges may fear reprisals for daring to challenge power or make decisions that displease authorities.
Judicial procedures often get bogged down in opaque twists and turns, where decisions may be influenced by private interests rather than the law. Here again, artificial intelligence could play a crucial role: automated case management systems could ensure traceability of decisions, detect inconsistencies, and report anomalies in case processing. Using blockchain to record each step of the judicial process would provide citizens with increased transparency, making it more difficult for any attempt at manipulation or favoritism.
4. A dynamic diaspora but at the service of host countries
The potential of human resources from the Cameroonian diaspora is immense. These talents, trained in international environments, bring valuable expertise in digital transformation and modern management. They could be mobilized to design, adapt, and supervise the implementation of AI solutions tailored to the Cameroonian context, while promoting skills transfer. Their involvement would be a major asset in supporting the digital transformation of administration and ensuring the integrity of processes, infusing a culture of excellence and innovation in the public sector.
5. Land management facing numerous challenges and dramas
Land management presents several challenges and dramas that affect socio-economic development and community stability. Key elements illustrate the many challenges of land management in Cameroon:
• Land conflicts – conflicts over land are common, often exacerbated by the lack of clear property titles.
• Inequality of land access – land ownership structures often favor elites and large companies at the expense of small farmers and local communities.
• Corruption – corruption within the administrative agents of the land ministry further complicates the situation. Land allocation procedures can be opaque, and land acquisition through illegal means is common.
• Insufficient legal framework – although Cameroon has laws on land management, their implementation is often inadequate, leaving many disputes unresolved and farmers, for example, unprotected.
For building permits, for example, AI could analyze submitted plans and automatically compare them with urban planning regulations. A project encroaching on a reserved area would be instantly rejected, with a detailed explanation of the reasons. Even more innovative: predictive analysis of delays. By studying thousands of similar files, AI could provide citizens with a reliable estimate of processing time, reducing uncertainty and opportunities for corruption.
These challenges and dramas require land policy reform, increased transparency in land management, and engagement of stakeholders to ensure fair and sustainable use of land resources.
6. Citizen participation and accountability
Citizen mistrust often stems from the opacity of decisions. Platforms like “GovScore” (inspired by the Estonian model) would allow Cameroonians to evaluate each public service, with automatic semantic analysis of comments. For example, if 70% of users in a town hall complain about delays in issuing administrative documents, the system would alert the prefect directly and propose improvement strategies based on best practices from other communities.
Opening budget data in understandable “open data” format is another lever. Instead of publishing unreadable PDFs, AI could generate interactive dashboards showing real-time budget execution: “47% of funds allocated to health centers have been spent, with 78% of projects meeting deadlines”. Algorithms would automatically detect anomalies: a hospital charging 150% more for medical equipment than the regional average would trigger an alert to the Audit Chamber.
7. Towards a pan-African architecture
Cameroon could lead a sub-regional initiative to harmonize these innovations. Imagine an “AI compliance certificate” recognized by CEMAC, which would allow a certified transparent Cameroonian company to be pre-qualified in all public tenders in the sub-region. We could pool the development of tools like “AFRICOR” (regional anti-corruption system), avoiding each country from reinventing the wheel.
8. Safeguards and ethical framework
These innovations require robust governance. An independent “National Algorithms Authority” should regularly audit systems, with an obligation of transparency on training data. The example of social credit algorithms in China shows the dangers of a purely technocratic approach. On the contrary, we should be inspired by the Canadian model: every citizen should be able to understand and challenge algorithmic decisions concerning them.
Conclusion: the urgency of a digital New Deal
Cameroon is at a crossroads regardless of the winner of the presidential elections. AI is not a magic wand, but it offers concrete tools to rebuild trust between the state and citizens. By starting with targeted pilot projects (public tenders, business creation, budget transparency), we could quickly demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Proof that digital transformation is possible, despite some hiccups observed by users, applying for a visa online or getting a passport in 48 hours is becoming more and more common and reduces the risk of corruption.
The digital transformation of our governance is no longer an option, but a necessary condition to lift the country out of the rut. It requires political courage, strategic investment, and a fierce determination to place the common interest at the heart of our action. Cameroon can and must catch up with countries like Rwanda to become a laboratory for governmental innovation in Africa.
