Audit Bench Reviews Camtel’s Management and Raises Strategic Concerns

The Audit Bench reviewed the management of Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) for the 2015 financial year and subsequent years. This state-owned enterprise, of which the State is the sole shareholder, is responsible for owning, operating and providing telecommunications infrastructure and services under three concession agreements signed on 12 March 2020, covering the deployment and operation of both fixed and mobile telecommunications networks.

During the period under review, the Audit Bench observed significant uncertainties concerning bank borrowings in the company’s financial statements. It also questioned the relevance of certain investments in submarine cables. For example, by December 2021, the three submarine cables commissioned since 2015 were only marginally used, well below their technical capacity.

The financial jurisdiction further raised concerns about Camtel’s independence, notably regarding the outsourcing of the supply and maintenance of its information systems to a foreign company without a written contract. It emphasised that this company holds the access codes—and therefore control over strategic and confidential data—without any oversight by Cameroonian authorities.

In conclusion, the Audit Bench issued six recommendations and initiated proceedings to sanction instances of mismanagement.