The African journal of law and politics (AJLP) is a publication of the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLPS) of The University of Bamenda (UBa). AJLP is a multidisciplinary and peer-reviewed journal with a diligent and committed editorial/Advisory Board, comprising of international scholars and experts who provide leadership and expertise to promote and enhance the scholarly relevance of the journal.
Faculty of Law and Political Science University of Bamenda
Does Education Capital and Labour Market Outcome Influence Electoral Participation and Party Affiliation Among University Students in Cameroon?
Electoral participation is widely regarded as a key indicator of democratic legitimacy, political engagement, and constituent satisfaction. This study examines the factors that influence youth electoral apathy and the choice of political leaders within Cameroonian universities. Growing youth disengagement from voting reflects deep frustrations with governance and raises concerns about potential civil unrest. Using a stratified simple random sampling method, 825 questionnaires were administered to students from the Universities of Dschang, Yaoundé I, and Yaoundé II. Data reliability was confirmed through pre-tests, and analysis employed descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation, and a Probit model. Findings reveal that lower education level, belief in regime change, and party affiliation significantly increase the likelihood of abstaining from elections. Intriguingly, higher income levels were associated with a slightly increased likelihood of not voting, implying that poorer students might be more inclined to vote, possibly due to vote-buying practices. Moreover, the choice of political leader appears to be influenced by parental transmission and ethnic identity. These results have important policy implications for improving youth political inclusion in Cameroon.
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DDR in Ongoing Conflicts: Lessons from the National DDR Gender Strategy in Cameroon
The role of gender in peacebuilding and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) is paramount yet often underexplored. The complex dynamics of the Boko Haram insurgency in Cameroon’s Far North Region and the subsequent DDR programme is a good case. Existing literature predominantly frames women as victims, overlooking their agency and contributions, particularly in community-based DDR efforts. This paper seeks to address this research gap by examining the active participation of women’s organisations (WOs) in supporting the implementation of the National DDR Gender Strategy across four heavily impacted Divisions of the Far North Region: Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga, Logone-et-Chari, and Diamare. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the study conducts in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion with representatives from WOs, coupled with documentary analysis to capture their experiences and strategies. Key findings indicate that WOs have emerged as vital actors in mobilizing community acceptance of ex-combatants, fostering dialogue, and enhancing women's leadership roles within the DDR process. Despite the positive shifts in community attitudes, WOs face significant challenges, including stigma, resource constraints, and socio-economic barriers that impede their effectiveness. The implications of this study buttress the necessity of integrating gender-sensitive approaches into DDR initiatives, emphasizing the importance of women's voices in policy formulation. Furthermore, it advocates for sustainable partnerships among stakeholders to improve DDR outcomes in contexts afflicted by violent extremism.
From Host to Contributor: Cameroon’s Role in Strengthening African Union (AU) Institutions
Cameroon has been actively involved in various AU missions and other security operations in Africa; the country has also hosted the seat of some specialized agencies of the African Union. The foregoing was driven by its commitment to promoting peace, security, and socio-economic advancement of the continent. The participation was guided by the foreign policy objectives that shaped Cameroon's relations with the AU. This study explores how Cameroon’s evolution from being a host of AU institutions to becoming a significant contributor to peace keeping efforts on the African continent. Data was gleaned from primary and secondary sources and analyzed qualitatively. Based on the analyzed data, the findings revealed that Cameroon’s participation in the AU is a reflection of its foreign policy objectives, which are dependent on inter-African cooperation, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, enhancement of pan-Africanism, non-alignment, anti-colonialism and imperialism, and respect for the territorial integrity of states. Also, has been instrumental in hosting various AU institutions and bodies like the logistics base, the Pan African University and the African Union sports council. It was also revealed that Cameroon did not only participate in peace keeping operations in Africa, but it also initiated initiatives to train AU pace keeping personnel. Challenges such as resources constraints and logistical challenges were faced.
Terrorisme et Developpement en Afrique : Contribution e l’Etude des Effets de la Menace sur le Developpement des Etats Africains Victimes du Crime
Terrorism is a phenomenon which is harmful to the development of african countries which face it. In fact, since the period of colonisation, african countries face terrorist acts. Those acts are so violent, and they forced popualtions to displacements and provoke horrible events in their lives. The terrorist threat is dangerous for the sociopolitical development of african countries, because it distroys peace and security of those african countries. Moreover, the terrorist attacks are dangerous and harmful to the economic development of african countries, since the financial ressources which should be affected to the issue of building infrastructures in these countries, are affected to the purchase of military material and equipment. Furthermore, terrorist attacks are harmful to the cultural development of african countries. This statement is true because when the terrorist attacks happen, it hinders official and authorities to organise spectacles and other cultural events.
L’ONU dans la promotion d’un environnement de paix et de coopération internationale
The birth of the United Nations in 1945 continue to inspire great hope around the world. As the coner stone of universal multilateralism, this organisation established in the aftermarth of world war II emerged as a platform with the primary goal of promoting international peace and security among States. From a purly liberal perspective, it should be understood as a space for dialogue and interdependence among members states in a context of ongoing global tensions. To what extent can we affirm the importance of UN for States and relations among people ? We hypothesize that international organizations serve as functional spaces that contribute to the promotion of a share ideal among various members states. In this sense, neoliberal intitutionalism, which emphasizes interdependance among actors in international relations, proves useful for this analysis. By focussing on the United Nations, our aim is to present this universal organization as essential to cooperation and interdependent relations among states.
Navigating Indigene-Settler Conflicts in Fako Division, Cameroon
This study investigates the drivers, management strategies, and challenges of indigene-settler conflicts in Fako Division, Cameroon, a region marked by historical colonial legacies, rapid demographic change, and socio-political complexity. Adopting a qualitative methodology, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with seventeen purposively selected participants, including traditional leaders, government officials, civil society actors, and community members from both indigene and settler backgrounds. Thematic analysis reveals that disputes over land ownership deeply intertwined with identity and cultural heritage are the primary source of conflict, exacerbated by cultural misunderstandings, political manipulation, and economic rivalry. Traditional authorities are widely regarded as the most trusted mediators, while formal legal and state mechanisms are often perceived as slow, biased, and lacking legitimacy. Community-based organizations and NGOs contribute positively, especially in peace education, but their impact is limited by resource constraints and inconsistent engagement. Key obstacles to effective conflict management include ambiguous land tenure laws, political interference, weakened traditional institutions, and the exclusion of youth and women from peace processes. The study concludes that sustainable peace in Fako Division requires a holistic, multi- stakeholder approach that integrates traditional and formal systems, strengthens community-based mechanisms, reforms land governance, and actively involves marginalized groups. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of identity-based conflicts in postcolonial African societies and inform policy recommendations for inclusive and context-sensitive peacebuilding.
The crime of Terrorism: Reflection on the rationale underlying the problematic of the Absence of a Common International Legal Definition
Global modern terrorism constitutes major contemporary social problem cutting across almost every facet of the society. Notwithstanding the fact that terrorism in all its facets put to question almost all international human rights values, thereby necessitating particular attention from researchers and policy makers, this phenomenon stills suffers from the absence of a common international legal definition, thereby provoking a certain divergence, inconsistencies and insufficiencies in the definition and prosecution of the crime of terrorism by various national legal systems. In the search for the rationale that can explain such an international legal vacuum, this study identifies an acute and unsettled divergence and insufficiencies surrounding moral philosophical debates on the acceptance, rejection and/or toleration of terrorism or some of its forms by classical moral philosophical schools of thought on the one hand, and a strong controversy looming over the political discrimination in the classification and categorization of what should amount to terrorism on the other hand. In perspective therefore, and against this backdrop, the study recommends the resort to other novel schools of moral philosophy like care ethics which may be different and/or complementary to the other approaches adopted by the other classical ethical theories.
Le cyber-droit et le salarié : le renouveau du pouvoir de l’employeur face à l’exécution du contrat de travail par l’employé
Today, new information and communication technologies constitute a logical engine of change leading to the performance and efficiency of organization. According to the power accelerator that is Covid- 19, we have seen a change in the logical pattern of how businesses operate. In new digital configuration, telematics has become a work tool by excellence. From Facebook to Amazon via Twitter, Instagram, discussion forums, blogs, messaging, etc., a new stakeholder management ecosystem has quickly been established. The Internet revolution impacts not only the organization of work, but also the behavior of employees. The multiplication and variety of possible uses of NICTs, however, requires control of their use by both employers and employees, in order to limit abuses and attacks on fundamental rights and the logic of fair competition.
The Applicability of Sanctions on Corporate Organisations under OHADA Law in Cameroon
This article discusses the applicability of sanctions on corporate bodies under OHADA law in Cameroon. Corporate entities are fictional or artificial entities created by the law, it is on this basis that we seek to address the problem of sanctioning corporation in a bijural system like the case of Cameroon. The Cameroonian law makers have put in place legislations with regards to sanctions that are imposed on corporate entities with some differences at the level of interpretation and applicability due to the bijural system applicable in the country. The doctrinal method has been employed which include primary and secondary sources of data, primary source of data consist of laws and legislations made in the country while secondary data consist of books, journals and legal writings with regards to Company Law in Cameroon. It is on this basis that this article analyses how corporate sanctions are imposed within the bijural legal system of Cameroon. The approaches employed by these two legal systems in the applicability of the laws are not actually accepted by those in the Common Law jurisdiction for lack of precisions in the law by those concerned. As to the realities of the day-to-day occurring in Cameroon, it is proposed that the Cameroonian legislators should enact precedes laws in sanctioning corporate bodies and also to harmonize its own laws with regard to corporate laws so as to meet with the aspirations of the present reality.
The Justiciability of Data Protection Principles: A Cameroonian Perspective
The 21st century has been defined by rapid technological advancement and the incessant collection and processing of personal data. While Cameroon has formally embraced these developments by positing the principles governing data protection in the recent 2024 Law, the justiciability of these principles remains a precarious prospect. This paper critically examines the justiciability of these principles, appraising the legal, institutional, and practical constraints hindering their effective enforcement. The paper contends that these principles embody the rights of data subjects and thus, violation should result in legal recourse for where there is a right, there is a remedy. Adopting a qualitative approach, the paper reveals that establishing and proving a legal claim for violation of these principles are a difficulty for data subjects. This is further compounded by the lack of expertise among investigating officers in Cameroon and jurisdictional issues. This analysis exposes how these constraints collectively undermine the potential of legal recourse for data subjects who have suffered wrong as a result of such violations. By advocating for institutional reforms, the paper suggests adequate training of investigating officers on emerging technologies and the use thereof, for judicial purposes, capacity building of data subjects in same regard, and transparency/accountability by data controllers.
Energy Development and Climate Change Concerns: Legal and Policy Appraisal from Cameroon
This article sets out to ascertain the level of attention that climate change receives under the Cameroonian energy legal and policy framework, more particularly how it supports the development of low-greenhouse gas (GHG) energy or a climate-friendly energy system in Cameroon. The article showcases the climate change implications of energy development in Cameroon and maps the policy guidelines for the development of a low-GHG energy system under the Cameroonian climate change and energy legal and policy instruments. Building on both primary and secondary data and employing the doctrinal research method and the content analysis approach, this article argues that the Cameroonian energy legal and policy framework does not adequately address climate change concerns. The findings reveal that the Cameroonian energy legal and policy frameworks do not adequately support the development of a climate-friendly energy system. Consequently, the potential of the energy sector in contributing to the fight against climate change in terms of mitigation may not be fully tapped. Based on the findings, what is proffered as an important recommendation is the strong need for Cameroon to elaborate and implement holistic energy legal and policy frameworks that comprehensively take on board climate change concerns. Such holistic energy legal and policy frameworks should set targets and timelines for gradual transition from the development of high GHG emissions sources of energy to the development of low or zero GHG emissions sources of energy.
An Assessment of the Liability of Electricity suppliers under Cameroonian Law
Electricity access in Cameroon is about 65-88% in urban areas and about 14% in rural areas. However, the product or service may still reach the final consumer but does not conform to quality, sample, specification, merchantability and fitness for purpose. There is no doubt that consumers in Cameroon electricity sector are protected by a superfluity of laws though most consumers are not conscious or aware and, in most cases, they shy away due to litigational bottlenecks. Nevertheless, establishing liability of electricity suppliers under Cameroonian law can be seen from the civil perspective and even within the domain of criminal law. This paper therefore probs into assessing the liability of electricity suppliers and the quality of electricity services under Cameroonian Law. It is therefore ascertained that though there exist patchwork of laws in this sector, consumers still remain vulnerable. Some recommendations are made to move beyond many failures inter alia; strong competition, responsible consumer attitude and a favorable and enabling environment to seek court redress.
Balancing the Rights of Local Communities and the Creation of Protected Areas for the Conservation of Biodiversity Hotspots in Cameroon: Case Study of the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Despite the significant contribution of protected areas in halting the degradation of natural resources and conserving biodiversity in Central Africa‚ the proliferation of this mechanism, is also being questioned by local communities who feel threatened with the dispossession of their lands by governments in complicity with conservators and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Protected areas have stirred up conflicts‚ with social and economic impacts that affect catchment communities who rely on forest resources found within these areas‚ who have seen their livelihood opportunities eroded. This article closely examines the implications of creating protected areas on the rights of local communities in Cameroon‚ with a particular focus on the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary (THWS) in the Wabane and Alou Sub-Division‚ in the South West Region of Cameroon. The article holds that rather than promote communal land rights and participation in natural resource management‚ protected areas for and conservation has strengthened state’s supremacy over local communities in the management of natural resource.
The Ethical Responsibilities and the Liability of Insurance Intermediaries in Cameroon
The importance of insurance in modern economies is unquestioned and has been recognised for centuries. Insurance “is practically a necessity to business activity and enterprise.”As players with both broad knowledge of the insurance marketplace, including products, prices and providers, and an acute sense of the needs of insurance purchasers, intermediaries have a unique role – indeed many roles – to play in the insurance markets in particular and, more generally, in the functioning of national and international economies. In today’s complex insurance marketplace, however, intermediaries have become more than middlemen between insurance companies and insurance buyers. Despite a strict legislative regime and pro-consumer developments, insurance intermediaries still fail to disclose material and onerous terms in their dealings with prospective policyholders. This paper seeks to investigate the rules that aim to regulate the up-front, honest disclosure of onerous terms to the prospective policyholder, and tries to answer the question of whether the intermediaries and advisors comply with their duties to disclose onerous terms to prospective policyholders. Adopting a doctrinal research method, it is observed that intermediaries in Cameroon are involved in misappropriation of the insured premium, rate cutting among others. The establishment of an effective, monitoring and enforcement mechanism is vital to ensure compliance with the regulations in enforce.
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights to Forest in the Context of the 2024 Forestry Law in Cameroon: Anything New?
Over the years, global trends have tilted towards diverse areas for sustainability most specifically on forest management. Forest provides a wide range of tangible and intangible benefits which cannot be over-emphasised. To indigenous communities, forest does not only provide them tangible benefits but also serves as an arena for their spiritual significance. It is mindful of these benefits that plethora of legal instruments have been enacted in Cameroon with several amendments to integrate the values forest holds for indigenous communities. Reflecting on these, this paper adopted the doctrinal and comparative research methods, to investigate and examine the integration of indigenous rights to forest within the scope of the 1994 Forestry Law to the recent 2024 Forestry Law. Consequently, this article has as its findings that the 2024 Forestry Law brings remarkable innovations firstly by attempting a broad definition of indigenous communities, forest, promises to incorporate their customary rights, provides these communities with benefit sharing incentives from forestry fees, enhances traditional hunting by creating community protected areas, community-managed hunting areas and gives these communities the opportunity to market such products which where very much limited in the 1994 Forestry Law. This article, therefore concludes that indigenous peoples have gone pass mere use and withdrawal rights to use, access, withdrawal and management rights under the present forest management scheme. However, these rights are very much temporary with no right of ownership thus impedes the complete realisation of their rights to forest.
The Reform of the Law on Banking Secrecy in Cameroon
The duty of secrecy is imperative in banking business because it instils trust and confidence in the customers and also preserve the right to privacy. However, persevering the confidentiality of banking information at all cost may be detrimental at times. That is why the legislator has tried to reconcile the duty of secrecy and the need to disclose confidential banking information. The article set out to examine the reform of the law on banking secrecy in Cameroon with the objective of bringing out succinctly the scope of application of the duty of confidentiality. Through the doctrinal approach, the article demonstrates that the 2022 Law on Banking Secrecy has broaden the scope of the duty of confidentiality with respect to acts, deeds and information to be kept secret and to persons duty bound. It is also flexible as concerns disclosure of confidential information. Nevertheless, while saluting the reforms, the article recommends that for the proper implementation of the law, the legislator should equally enact a law on data privacy in Cameroon.
The psychosocial effects of the anglophone conflict on civilians in Bamenda, Cameroon
The Anglophone conflict in Cameroon has attracted a lot of attention from researchers since it escalated in 2017. Most of the studies have detailed the noticeable effects of the violent nature of this conflict, such as the numbers killed, raped and displaced, the number of villages razed and the material damage to infrastructure. While most of the studies focus on the physical effects, the psychosocial effects of the conflict have been ignored in the literature. This paper aims at filling this gap by assessing the psychosocial effects of the violent nature of the Anglophone conflict in Cameroon on civilians in Bamenda town. It adopts a qualitative approach in which 20 respondents from Bamenda in the Northwest region of Cameroon were interviewed. They were drawn from a range of backgrounds to learn more about the psychosocial effects of the violence. It was discovered that violence, either from its perpetrator or victim, does not only leave marks on the human body but also on the mind, the spirit and the social structure. Hence, ‘after violence’ could become ‘before violence,’ if the psychosocial effects of the violence from the Anglophone conflict are not dealt with properly.
Le Droit un Instrument au Service des Mobilités : Réflexion à Partir de l’Influence du Droit sur la Réalité des Mobilités
The earth has become a global village. It is a place where exchanges, movements of goods, services and people take place. Men live there in real interdependence. These different movements and exchanges constitute a whole that would be described as mobilities. The latter are, moreover, intrinsic to human nature. Besides this reality, there is another evidence: the law, regulator of life in society. As a result, mobility cannot be an isolated aspect of the legal framework. The relationship between law and mobility is therefore real. The purpose of this article is therefore to shed light on the actual influence of the law on mobility.
Originalité et Nouveauté, Regard Croisé sur le Critère Fondamental de Protection d’une Création par le Droit d’Auteur et le Droit de la Propriété Industrielle
Originality, the criterion for protecting creative works, has often been opposed to novelty, the criterion for protecting industrial creations. Beyond the conceptual disparity, the analysis of the relationships between the two notions reveals a similarity both on a theoretical and practical level, one being deduced from the other. To this end, the consecration of the concept of novelty by copyright, taken in that a creation is distinguished from its predecessors, will allow a transversal analysis of this condition of protection within the large group that is intellectual property and put an end to certain controversies.
Les Vicissitudes de l’Entreprise et la Stabilite de l’Emploi en Droit Camerounais
If job security remains strong, job stability continues to be a subject of concern. There is only a weak relationship between the objective indicator of job security and this is sustainability and the perception of it by people across the country. Thus, « there is a positive relationship between decent work and job security ». Job security can be generated by its stable nature, but when a recession looms or structural changes accelerate, job stability risks being jeopardized. In these situations, employees have need to rely on their social protection systems. But, it is obviously with a view to securing employment that the legislator provides conciliatory techniques between the employer and employees in order to stabilize employment. As a result, we are considering a revitalization of working conditions by modifying contractual provisions. Furthermore, even in the event of a change in the legal situation of the employer, the principle remains that of the continuation of the current contract
The Rights of Non-Customer Electricity Consumers in Cameroon: From Legislative Ignorance to Judicial Recognition
The protection of consumers’ rights is a huge challenge in the electricity sector in Cameroon. One of the main reasons for this is that the law ignores the existence of non-customer electricity consumers which, ironically, constitute the greater majority of those who use electricity. This article raises the problem of recognition and protection of the rights of this category of electricity consumers whose situation in some instances is obscure. It brings to lime light the situation of non-customer electricity consumers and determines the extent to which their rights are protected in Cameroon. Through doctrinal and empirical research, the article reveals that the legislator has not recognised noncustomer consumers of electricity in Cameroon. Fortunately, case law has recognised their rights with implication that they can enjoy the same rights with other consumers who are actually customers of the Electricity Corporation. It recommends amongst others, the adoption of a separate legislation that deals only with electricity consumers’ rights, including users who are not subscribers or customers.
An analysis of some Provisions of the Conventions Regulating Contracts of Carriage of Goods by Sea
Contracts of carriage of goods by sea are, because they involve trans-border trade regulated by international conventions. Rather than inspire the harmony required to foster trade and ensure social harmony, these conventions are an epitome of cacophony. With the intention of protecting certain parties, the rights and obligations are lopsided and there is differential consideration in the formulation of certain important concepts. With a view to triggering a review of the conventions, this paper highlights and analyses some of the provisions. Of interest to this writer are the rights and obligations of the parties, the conception of the parties to a contract of carriage of goods by sea, inter alia, and notion of a contract of carriage of goods by sea.
The concept of Transitional Justice and its Importance in the Context of the Socio-Political Crisis in Cameroon
The importance of Transitional Justice in the context of Cameroon's ongoing socio-political crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgence and the Anglophone crisis cannot be understated. Transitional Justice encompasses mechanisms that states, societies, and communities use to provide accountability and redress for gross human rights violations such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Despite adopting the statutory transitional justice measures to wits: justice, truth, reparation, and institutional reforms, Cameroon faces challenges in their effective implementation. This paper makes use of primary sources from laws and interviews and from secondary sources from books, articles and reports, to analyze the effectiveness of these mechanisms in Cameroon, particularly during the conflict period. The mechanisms lay the groundwork for peace and reconciliation and evaluates its coordination and effectiveness, analyzing reforms like the National Human Rights Commission, the Major National Dialogue, and the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Center. The effects of the current socio-political crisis reveal that there is lack of implementation of the transitional justice measures, which is fostered by ineffective coordination efforts. the paper highlights inter alia the urgent need for a robust legal framework to actualize transitional justice in Cameroon, drawing lessons from countries like South Africa and Rwanda, where context-specific approaches and inclusive processes for successful transitional justice.
Safeguarding the Enforcement of Human Rights Obligations Towards Indigenous Peoples in Cameroon
The responsibility to protect and enforce the rights of indigenous peoples lie principally with States as they are the bearers of human rights obligations that stem from both customary and treaty law. Despite the fact that the choice of domestic enforcement mechanisms are the sovereign right of States, international law imposes certain minimum requirements with respect to indigenous peoples. This paper reviews what chances are there for the realisation of the human rights obligations towards indigenous peoples in Cameroon. To arrive at the desired results, the paper adopted a socio-legal analytical research method, examining existing measures which are available to the State for the effective enforcement of the human rights obligations towards indigenous people. Findings suggest that despite the constitutional marginalisation that indigenous people suffer in Cameroon, they can readily enjoy direct and indirect enforcement of their rights. Indirect enforcement refers to indigenous rights that are not well-defined and are therefore incapable of direct/immediate enforcement. The State has to undertake some positive acts, such as a legislative or administrative or policy measure, exercising a high level of political discretion when it comes to the enforcement of indigenous rights and may do as it pleases or confidently lie on its pillow of lethargy.
A Legal Assessment of Biodiversity Conservation Strategies in Cameroon: The Case of Endangered Species
Endangered species are the population of organisms which are at high risk of becoming extinct due to ecological factors but most importantly due to the conduct of human activities resulting to loss of habitats, high death rate or changes in environmental conditions/standards. Weak legal framework on the protection of endangered species, environmental degradation due to population pressure on natural resources (such as forests) and laxity in field monitoring and control are some of the factors driving many endangered species in Cameroon to extinction. Without adequate legal protection or conservation measures, endangered species will disappear permanently from the earth surface and consequently depriving future generations from benefiting therefrom. This paper examines the various legal conservation strategies or measures adopted by the government of Cameroon in the protection of biodiversity in general and endangered species in particular. It also reveals the challenges involved in the sustainability of endangered species. In the end, the paper recommends the need for: law-makers to limit referrals to texts of application and legislative cross referencing; capacity building of forest dependent communities; the promotion of cultural practices which favour conservation of natural resources and the use of alternative sources of fuel wood energy among others.
Challenges Facing the Effective Implementation of Higher Education Policy of Digitalization in The University of Bamenda
Like many sectors, universities have embraced the wave of digitalization as a way to improve their performance and adapt to the global technology-driven society. This paper seeks to examine the challenges facing the effective implementation of higher education policy of digitalization in the University of Bamenda. The study adopted the mixed research strategy, the target population of the study was made up of IT workers and students across the various faculties and schools that constitute the University, with a sample size comprised of 24 IT workers and 377 students, selected in line with Krecie and Morgan’s sample size determination table. The study employed the stratified random and purposive sampling techniques, and data was collected using both questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide. Findings of this study reveal that the University of Bamenda has been facing a myriad of challenges as it sought to effectively implement the policy of digitalization prescribed by the Cameroon Ministry of Higher Education. These barriers include: Lack of access to stable internet and internet-connected computers on campus, inadequate ICT infrastructure, limited users’ skills and training, unavailability of platforms for post-training management and follow-up, frequent electricity cuts, resistant to change by implementation stakeholders among other factors. These impediments are an indication that more efforts in terms of resources; financial, human and infrastructural are much required toward ensuring that the institution is effectively digitalized. The study recommended that the top management of the institution should put in place regulatory framework of digitalization that conforms to the internal realities that surround its context.
Digitalization of Service Delivery: A Social and Technological Innovation for the Enhancement of Local Government Performance in Cameroon
Decentralization in Cameroon was motivated by the government’s quest for service delivery efficiency. However, the wave of technological advancement has proven that there is need for a shift in paradigm towards embracing digitalization in service delivery. Social innovations let by ICT use has brought greater awareness among citizens, who now need to conveniently carry out transactions and also to obtain accessible, reliable, and sustainable information from their local government. Unfortunately, this is still far from the reality of some local councils in Cameroon. Digitalization could constitute a plethora of social innovation opportunities on which local government service delivery would thrive. In spite of the opportunities that digitalization presents, there remain some constraints for it to be fully embraced. This paper examines digitalization as a social innovation for local government service delivery by discussing the context for digitalization as a social innovation for local governments in Cameroon and presents empirical evidence on the possibility for a shift in paradigm from analogue to digital considerations of information and transactional service delivery by local governments in Cameroon. Secondly, this paper examines digitalization of information and transactional services in relation to local government performance by looking at the possible role of digitalized service delivery in enhancing local government performance. It illustrates how adopting the Government to Business (G2B) Model of E-governance can enhance local government revenue and boast local development in Cameroon. The paper ends with an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and constraints of digitalization of service delivery by local councils in Cameroon.
MBIYDZENYUY Courage SEVIDZEM MBIYDZENYUY
Cameroon Reunification Fifty (50) Years After: A Systems Approach to How and Why it Endures
Literature on how states formerly divided and reunited manage to consolidate reunification is relatively sparse. Even where the history of reunified states is examined, focus is always on the weaknesses of reunification rather than what makes it strong and stable. The purpose of this article is to fill this gap by identifying and explaining the consolidation of reunified States. Using the example of the State in Cameroon, it finds that the consolidation of reunification is a constructive and systematic political process characterised by attempts to neutralise potentials of differentiation that could lead to demands for separation. It is a dynamic political process that has involved a negotiated federation, a merger of political parties, formation of a unitary state, constructing and forging a national discourse of unity and integration and the threat of use of legitimate violence and intimidation. The paper reveals the capability of political systems in terms of ensuring their survival under vulnerable and fragile conditions.
Splendors and Miseries of Administrative Justice in Cameroon
What are the main advances and limitations that apply to the new administrative jurisdiction in Cameroon? The question is serious. The question indeed deserves to be observed with great consideration and only a careful examination of the legal standards in force as well as court decisions would make it possible to judge it. The time has undoubtedly arrived today, after the effective implementation of the newly created Administrative Tribunals, to note the main positive and negative aspects of the latest treatment chosen by the legislator and, as far as possible, to predict the chances of healing of Cameroonian administrative disputes. Thus, we intend to demonstrate throughout the following developments that administrative litigation has experienced sawtooth developments in Cameroon with advances here, and regressions there. From 1996 to today, developments should nevertheless be noted in Cameroonian administrative litigation. Administrative jurisdiction has truly been transformed. The 2006 reform which saw the creation of administrative courts and the reorganization of the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court aimed to promote administrative litigation which remains weak in both qualitative and quantitative terms. In the end, the changes are slight since the organizational principles, in particular, remain the same. The lack of audacity noted in the new organic structuring of the administrative jurisdiction is an incongruity which cannot go unnoticed. The system remains incomplete and the absence of a sovereign court reserved for administrative functions, separate from other functions, particularly judicial ones, maintains the Cameroonian model in a typically African uniqueness and disinclined to efficiency. Only a firm option for the emergence of a true administrative judge, technically competent, would have been a guarantee of a satisfactory distribution of the justice in question.
A Legal Appraisal of Water Protection Mechanisms in Cameroon: Challenges and Suggestions for Sustainable Water Management
The importance of water to the human society cannot be undermined. Protecting and managing water as a valuable resource of the earth for the use of the present and future generations. For communities, this is crucial especially as living on earth could become so difficult and meaningless when this precious natural resource-water is not properly managed. Potable water has economic, ecological, societal, and cultural functions amongst others. As such, an effective management greatly determines sustainability. The availability of water ensures several tangible and intangible benefits/services to mankind. To this end, there is need to ensure an effective regulation and protection in order to guarantee the continuous supply and enjoyment of the valuable services provided. This study examined the concept of sustainable water management in Cameroon and seeks to understand the reason why access to potable water continues to be a major challenge for many homes in Cameroon, manifested by water scarcity, poor water quality and depletion of potable water sources despite the presence of legal mechanisms providing a benchmark for regulating the sustainability of potable water. To provide an answer to this worry, the study sets to investigate the various mechanisms or techniques employed by the government in ensuring water sustainability as we as the challenges hindering this sector. To realize this objective, data has been collected and analyzed using the typical doctrinal research method. In the end, the paper clamours for legal and institutions reforms as well as a collaborative commitment of State and non-State actors towards ensuring water sustainability.