Is retirement age in Cameroon respected only for junior staff?
One figure since 2017: nine years. That is the maximum legal term allowed for the head of a public enterprise in Cameroon. A report by Professor Viviane Ondoua Biwolé, an expert in public governance, highlights how this legal limit has remained largely theoretical for many officials.
According to the report, 102 chief executive officers and deputy chief executive officers are still serving well beyond the legal term limit. At the top of the list is Robert Nyonse, Deputy General Manager of SEMRY, who has held the position since 1983, 43 consecutive years, more than four times the legal maximum. He is followed by Ondoa Onana Ambroise at the national investment fund – SNI (36 years) and Zoumba Aboubakar at the telecommunications regulatory board – ART (27 years).
Among chief executive officers, Tiati A Ngae has led UTAVA since 1989, a total of 37 years. Camille Moute à Bidias has headed the national employment fund -FNE for 35 years, while Adolphe Moudiki has led the national hydrocarbons corporation -SNH for 33 years. Two others, Essame Oyono Jean Louis (IMPM) and Marie-Claire Nnana (SOPECAM), have each served 24 years in office.
The report also notes that 15 chief executive officers and 14 deputy chief executive officers had already exceeded their legal terms when the 2017 law came into force. We have regional governors who are due for retirement for over 10 – 15 years, senior divisional officers, divisional officers, etc., in the same situation, senior military officers, etc., who have outlived their usefulness, still in office, draining the state coffers, while the junior military staff, still energetic, go at 50
These institutions manage public funds—money that belongs to Cameroonian taxpayers. This raises a simple question: What is the purpose of a law if it is not enforced? Professor Ondoua Biwolé’s full report is available and is worth reading for anyone interested in the governance of Cameroon’s public enterprises.
