The Dark Side of Civil Society Organizations in Cameroon.

Kijem Joseph Yuh

Just like in many countries all over the world, a good number of civil society organizations carry out various activities in Cameroon in the political, social, financial, moral, cultural, spiritual and other domains.¹ They are owned by nationals, national institutions, international bodies, etc.  They function in an inappropriate environment, an environment replete with all sorts of problems, an environment which does not properly orientate their work, etc.

Many Cameroonians and Cameroonian bodies that own or sponsor civil society organizations do not have enough financial resources. Unlike some foreign or international civil society organizations which function in Cameroon, their organizations experience so many financial hurdles in many domains. A good number of them do not have reliable or substantial funding sources.

There is a serious problem of accountability in most civil society organizations in Cameroon. They do not bother to render an account of their duties or services to Cameroonians who benefit from these duties or services. In other words, they do not sufficiently explain to them the nature of their activities, etc. They do not provide a picture or account of the investments (financial, material, technical, etc) they make in the field. They wrongly believe that their mission is simply a matter of providing services to Cameroonians. This unfortunate situation prompts Cameroonians to claim that the said organizations embezzle funds for local projects. Some of their claims are right.

Many civil society organizations in Cameroon suffer from poor management. They are not well managed by their heads, owners, etc. To this end, these heads, owners, etc believe that they have the right to use funds according to their whims and caprices. They do not care about implementing modern management methods, ideas, etc - in terms of the handling of human, material and technical resources - such as the creation of websites (very few civil society organizations such as Green Cameroon have a website).² The main goal of the activities of some of them is the obtainment of personal benefits from their organizations. 

Civil society organizations in Cameroon have unfortunately neglected some key domains of life which they wrongly consider as inconsequential. One of such domains is human rights education. The said organizations do not focus their attention on the education of Cameroonians in terms of the mastery and upholding of their rights in the political, cultural, social and other fields. They wrongly believe that such an activity does not deserve great attention.

A good number of workers in Cameroon’s civil society organizations do not work in suitable conditions. They have ludicrous or ridiculous remuneration packages. Most of them do not have social security benefits. In fact, the working conditions of many employees of civil society organizations in Cameroon is in total violation of Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and similar provisions of other international legal instruments.³

The journey of Cameroon’s civil society organizations to the realm of legality is characterized by several obstacles and other negative aspects. Some of these organizations spend too much time to obtain legalization documents partly due to administrative inertia. Furthermore, their proprietors and their collaborators do not go through a thorough vetting exercise, thereby paving the way for the legalization of some unworthy civil society organizations in terms of staff qualifications, criminal records, etc. 

There is no emphasis on exchange programmes within civil society circles in Cameroon. Just a few civil society organizations in this country are involved in such programmes either at the national and international levels. The importance of these programmes is regrettably ignored by many civil society organizations in Cameroon. This situation has prevented them from sharing their experiences and from learning from foreign civil society organizations. 

The activities of many civil society organizations in Cameroon are unfortunately tailored to the obnoxious interests of some foreign funding institutions. The case of civil society organizations handling issues of homosexuality and lesbianism is quite illustrative of this point. They receive a lot of assistance (financial, psychological, technical, social, legal, etc) from foreign bodies working in the domain of homosexuality and lesbianism.

Just like in many structures in Cameroon, evaluation exercises are not taken seriously in a good number of civil society organizations in the said country. They do not unfortunately know that these exercises should be carried out by professionals in the field of evaluation of activities.⁴ The reports, etc evaluating their activities are done poorly. They lack the fundamental requirements inherent in such reports, etc.

Many civil society workers in Cameroon do not regularly undergo training exercises. They do not attend seminars, workshops, conferences, courses, etc pertaining to their respective domains. This situation is partly due to the fact that civil society organizations in the said country do not unfortunately see the need to spend part of their funds in the training of their workers in and out of Cameroon. Consequently, they are being deprived of valuable inputs in terms of administrative management, technical issues, etc. 

A good number of workers in Cameroon’s civil society organizations are exposed to the whims and caprices of public authorities in their daily activities. Some of the laws in Cameroon permit these authorities to illegally or unfairly punish some civil society organizations and their workers.⁵ This despicable situation has frustrated a good number of civil society organizations and their workers, thereby depriving some Cameroonians of their services.

There is no coordination, organization and cooperation among civil society organizations in Cameroon. There is no coordinating structure for these bodies. They function in a disorganized manner. It is in this light that each of them is bound to resolve its problems (administrative, political, financial, etc) alone. This situation renders them very vulnerable to government excesses and other ills targeting their activities.

The Cameroon Government does not react favourably or positively to the presence and role of civil society organizations in Cameroon since it believes that they are not sincere in their activities.⁶ This reaction is very noticeable in the treatment it inflicts on some powerful civil society organizations such as the Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale (REDHAC) / a human rights structure working in Central Africa). The said organization is suffering from government persecution because of its seriousness in the promotion and protection of human rights in Cameroon.

A good number of civil society organizations in Cameroon are involved in unscrupulous activities. In many cases, they do not judiciously use the funds from their funding bodies. They are diverted to inappropriate activities (personal, familial, etc). Furthermore, the said organizations dupe or deceive personalities, national and international bodies, common citizens, etc. They unscrupulously collect money, materials, etc from them for fictitious projects and activities.

Civil society organizations working in unsafe areas in Cameroon are experiencing an atmosphere of dreadful insecurity. Their employees are being kidnapped, tortured, traumatized and even killed by Boko Haram fighters in the Far North Region, armed separatist groups in the North-West and South-West Regions.⁷ They do not have enough protection from government security institutions (police, gendarmerie, army, etc).

A good number of civil society organizations in Cameroon do not have adequate infrastructure and tools for their work or activities. In this connection, some of them occupy inappropriate premises (dirty buildings which are poorly maintained in many respects, very small and uncomfortable offices, the houses of some owners of civil society organizations, etc) while others do not have any premises at all (they exist in their proprietors’ bags, briefcases, etc).

Civil society organizations in Cameroon are not evenly distributed at the geographical level. Cameroon - being a society and country aspiring for change - needs a vibrant CSO (civil society organization) realm, a realm which is evenly present in both the rural and urban parts of Cameroon.⁸ Unfortunately, most civil society organizations in Cameroon are found in urban areas.

Many civil society organizations in Cameroon take communication issues lightly. They wrongly believe that there is no need for serious communication in their activities. They unfortunately do not understand that the current world is a world in which activities such as theirs need a proper or suitable communication mechanism to accompany them within the beneficiary communities and even out of them.

Though civil society organizations (CSOs) in Cameroon play a pivotal role in various domains, their sustainability is regrettably neglected by stakeholders working in the civil society realm or sphere.⁹ Most of these organizations do not have any sustainability strategy or mechanisms. They rely on short-term and medium-term survival mechanisms in terms of funding and other vital issues. No room for long-term vision and mechanisms in terms of sustainability issues!

The lifestyle and expenditures of many proprietors of civil society organizations in Cameroon leave much to be desired. In this connection, they divert funds meant for their respective organizations to personal, family and other issues. It is in this light that some of them purchase expensive cars, build expensive houses, cater for the needs of their girlfriends, etc with the said funds. These expenditures create inroads into these funds.

In a nutshell, it could be said that the civil society realm in Cameroon needs some overhauling in a good number of domains. This exercise should be judiciously carried out by the various stakeholders of this realm (proprietors of civil society organizations, the government, experts in civil society matters, beneficiaries of civil society activities, etc). It would go a long way in lending credence to Kofi Annan’s admissible insistence on the need for the civil society’s ‘active participation’ in poverty alleviation.¹⁰

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1)         AZ QUOTES, “Civil Society Quotes”

             Available at: www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/civil-society.html

             Consulted on: 19/12/25

2)         Green Cameroon (an environmental NGO in Cameroon. Meant for Environmental Education), “Green Cameroon”

             Available at: www.greencameroon.org

             Consulted on: 30/10/24

3)         Longla, A., “Legal Framework for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Cameroon by Non-governmental Organizations” Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/354264172_The_Legal_Framework_for_the_Promotion_and_Protection_of_Human_Rights_in_Cameroon_by_Non-Gov... Consulted on: 29/10/24

4)         Nchanji, E. et al, “Valorisation of NGOs’ Existence in Cameroon: Option for a More Engaged Civil Society (Vnec-Oecs)” Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/296847320_Valorisation_of_NGOS’_Existence_in_Cameroon_Option_for_a_More_Engaged_Civil_Society_Vnec-Oecs

             Consulted on: 29/10/24

5)         Ndueh, E., “Boko Haram Kidnaps Three NGO Workers in Kossa, Cameroon”

             Available at: cameroonnewsagency.com/boko-haram-kidnaps-three-ngo-workers-in-kossa-cameroon/

             Consulted on: 29/10/24

6)         Ntoko, B., Civil Society Organizations in Cameroon (Assessing the Role of CSOs in Development), Master’s Thesis (4FU42E), Kalmar Växjö University, August 2020

7)         Pippie, H., “Civil Society and Human Rights Promotion: The Case of Cameroon”

Available at: onpolicy.org/civil-society-and-human-rights-promotion-the-case-of-cameroon/

             Consulted on: 18/8/25

8)         Swartzendruber, J. and Berka, B., “NGOs, Environmental Awareness and Policy Advocacy in Cameroon”

             Available at: pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACAS 46.pdf

             Consulted on: 29/10/24

9)         World Economic Forum, “Who and What is Civil Society “

             Available at: www.weforum.org/stories/2018/04/what-is-civil-society/

             Consulted on: 12/8/24

10)       Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

¹ World Economic Forum, “Who and What is Civil Society “

Available at: www.weforum.org/stories/2018/04/what-is-civil-society/

Consulted on: 12/8/24

This article provides the various components of a civil society. It states as follows:

According to the World Bank: ‘Civil society’…refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations.

In this work, just civil society organizations which employ paid workers are taken into consideration.

² Green Cameroon (an environmental NGO in Cameroon. Meant for Environmental Education), “Green Cameroon”

Available at: www.greencameroon.org

Consulted on: 30/10/24

This article brings to the fore one of the few civil society organizations (Green Cameroon) which have understood the importance of websites in the work of civil society organizations. On its website, significant or useful information concerning it such as the year it was founded (2003) and its motto (Serving Our Communities with Passion!) is mentioned.

³ Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) stipulates as follows:

(1)   Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2)   Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3)   Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

⁴ Nchanji Eileen Bogweh et al (Researchgate), “Valorisation of NGOs’ Existence in Cameroon: Option for a More Engaged Civil Society (Vnec-Oecs)”

Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/296847320_Valorisation_of_NGOS’_Existence_in_Cameroon_Option_for_a_More_Engaged_Civil_Society_Vnec-Oecs

Consulted on: 29/10/24

In this article, Nchanji Eileen Bogweh et al give us an idea of the fact that evaluation exercises in Cameroon’s civil society organizations should be done professionally. They do so as follows:

Evaluation of NGO activities should be done through a team of professional and trained evaluators of NGOs/association activities in Cameroon.

⁵ Alvine Longla Boma (Researchgate), “Legal Framework for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Cameroon by Non-governmental Organizations”

Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/354264172_The_Legal_Framework_for_the_Promotion_and_Protection_of_Human_Rights_in_Cameroon_by_Non-Gov...

Consulted on: 29/10/24

In this article, Alvine Longla Boma pinpoints the vulnerable situation of Cameroon’s civil society organizations and their workers in the following words:

We argue that there should be adequate protection offered to human rights defenders as well as the relaxation of laws permitting public authorities to illegally sanction the activities of relevant non-governmental organizations.

⁶ J.F. Swartzendruber and Bernard Berka Njovens (Centre for International Development and Environment/World Resources Institute, 1709, New York Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006), “NGOs, Environmental Awareness and Policy Advocacy in Cameroon”

Available at: pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACAS 46.pdf

Consulted on: 29/10/24

In this article, J.F. Swartzendruber and Bernard Berka Njovens spotlight some aspects of the negative government reaction to the presence and role of civil society organizations in Cameroon. They do so in the following lines:

At the same time, several factors inhibit a more ambitious agenda for Cameroonian NGOs despite their rapid increase in number. These problems need to be taken into account when designing environmental activities to be carried out by NGOS. They include:

a)    The reluctance of the government to accept NGOs as a fully fledged partner in national development;

b)    Fears that NGOs are prone to politicization.

⁷ Eratus Ndueh (Cameroon News Agency), “Boko Haram Kidnaps Three NGO Workers in Kossa, Cameroon”

Available at: cameroonnewsagency.com/boko-haram-kidnaps-three-ngo-workers-in-kossa-cameroon/

Consulted on: 29/10/24

In the aforementioned article, Eratus Ndueh gives an idea of the dreadful atmosphere in which humanitarian organizations work in Cameroon’s unsafe areas. This is done in the following words:

Three humanitarian workers of Première Urgence International (a French NGO) have been kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters in Kossa (an area in the Far North Region of Cameroon). They were abducted not far from the military base of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) while they were monitoring children suffering from malnutrition.

⁸ Ntoko Benjamin Esone, Civil Society Organizations in Cameroon (Assessing the Role of CSOs in Development), Master’s Thesis (4FU42E), Kalmar Växjö University, August 2020, p.29.

In this thesis, Ntoko Benjamin Esone highlights the necessity for the existence of a civil society organization realm in all societies in quest of change. He does so as follows:

Again, we see that for any society aspiring for change, a vibrant CSO structure is necessary to guide citizens through its expertise knowledge and mobilization capacity.

⁹ Pippie Hugues, “Civil Society and Human Rights Promotion: The Case of Cameroon”

Available at: onpolicy.org/civil-society-and-human-rights-promotion-the-case-of-cameroon/

Consulted on: 18/8/25

In this article, Pippie Hugues clearly states that civil society organizations in Cameroon play an important or vital role in various sectors (citizen mobilization, monitoring of democratic processes and the improvement of living conditions).

¹⁰ AZ QUOTES, “Civil Society Quotes”

Available at: www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/civil-society.html

Consulted on: 19/12/25

In one of these quotes, Kofi Annan states as follows:

If we are to make poverty history, we must have the active participation of States, civil society and the private sector, as well as individual volunteers.