CAMEROON CONTINUES TO RANK POORLY ON GOVERNANCE

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 001198

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/C
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS
EUCOM FOR J5-1 AND POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCOR PGOV ECON ETRD CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON CONTINUES TO RANK POORLY ON GOVERNANCE

REF: A. YAOUNDE 1160


B. YAOUNDE 1140

C. YAOUNDE 1068


1. (U) Summary: The week of September 24 brought three
new studies reinforcing Cameroon's reputation for poor
performance on corruption and governance. Cameroon scored
138 out of 179 on Transparency International's Corruption
Perception Index, 154 out of 178 in the World Bank's Doing
Business Report, and 24 out of 48 in a new index of African
governance. The recent Cabinet shuffle offers some hope that
the GRC may be getting more serious about improving
governance but much of the Cameroonian public remains
skeptical. End summary.


2. (U) In its recently-released 2007 Corruption Perception
Index, Transparency International ranked Cameroon 138 out of
179 countries in 2006, the same rank as last year and down a
notch from 2005 (when it ranked 137). Cameroon received a
score of 2.4 out of 10 (with 10 the best),tied with
Pakistan, Ethiopia, Paraguay, and Syria (scoring better than
its admittedly poor performing neighbors). On September 26,
the World Bank published its 2007 Doing Business Report,
ranking Cameroon 154 out of 178 economies worldwide.
Cameroon scored relatively well on ease of hiring and days to
start a business (37 days, compared to the regional average
of 56 days),but scored particularly badly on the number of
person-hours required to pay taxes, enforcing contracts and
difficulty firing employees. On September 25, the
London-based Mo Ibrahim Foundation released its first-ever
Index of African Governance, which ranked Cameroon 24 out of
48 African countries. The index tracked a country's record
on safety and security, rule of law (including corruption),
human rights, sustainable economic development and human
development.


3. (U) At the launch of the Transparency International and
Doing Business reports, local representatives decried the
lack of progress on governance in Cameroon. A senior local
World Bank economist said this year's ranking underscored
that "government failed to reform the business environment."
Transparency International's press release for this year's
CPI report noted that "Cameroon in reality is marking time or
is regressing" on anti-corruption. Cameroon's relative
position has stagnated or worsened in the past four years.
In 2003, Cameroon's CPI score ranked 124 out of 133 globally,
with a lower score of 1.8, and 147 on the Doing Business
report, almost ten points better in relative terms.


4. (SBU) Comment: These reports received extensive press
coverage and commentary in Cameroon, which revealed
significant indifference and cynicism about the impact these
reports might have on reform. We too are skeptical, given
Cameroon's track record and the lack of any real progress in

2006. However, the recent major Cabinet shuffle (not
captured in these reports),President Biya's continued public
and private commitments to an anti-corruption campaign
(reftels),and some recent GRC efforts to boost its image
internally offer some hope that these reports will resonate
more this time. We will reference these recent reports in
pressing the GRC to move more aggressively with reforms and
against corruption.
GARVEY