Chapter 5 – On the Form of the State
Under the current Constitution, Cameroon is defined as a unitary decentralized State. In practice, however, it remains deeply centralized, a structure that has proven counterproductive and severely harmful. This calls for a fundamental rethinking of the country’s political framework.
The Problem of Centralization
Every country faces issues that vary across regions. It is therefore irrational to attempt to resolve them uniformly through a single policy crafted by one individual for the entire nation. Many challenges that communities face require leaders who are close to the people, capable of understanding their realities and assessing their public service needs accurately.
Some situations demand urgent responses—like interrupted access to water or electricity, uncollected waste, or emergency relief. Yet, in Cameroon, even in the face of emergencies, residents living over 1,000 kilometers from Yaoundé must await a solution from a political figure or civil servant sitting in an office in the capital. First, the problem must be reported to the relevant minister in Yaoundé, a feat already complicated by poor communication networks. The minister must then forward the matter to a subordinate for analysis, and this civil servant—often unfamiliar with the local context—is expected to propose a solution. Unsurprisingly, the outcome is frequently misaligned with local expectations.
Even when a theoretical solution is reached, there remains the physical and bureaucratic hurdle of implementing it across great distances. This leaves millions—especially in remote regions—at the mercy of a central system ill-equipped to serve them.
But let’s be honest—even Yaoundé residents suffer under this centralization. A single official in Yaoundé is sometimes expected to handle requests from over 30 million citizens. If each case took one day, it would take approximately 82,000 years to process them all—clearly, an impossible feat.
The centralization of public service leads to absurdities: a teacher’s assignment, the recruitment of a nurse, the purchase of basic supplies, or the appointment of a clerk, all require validation from a Minister in Yaoundé. If that Minister happens to be sick or on leave, the entire process is paused. In a centralized system, no one dares delegate authority, and so the entire machinery of the state stalls.
The Solutions
The UNIVERS Party proposes to launch a nationwide debate on the form of the State. One thing is clear: the hyper-centralized system must end. The nation must choose between true decentralization or federalism. In either case, the central government must relinquish substantial authority to local governing bodies (Measure 1), and this implies a drastic reduction in the number of central ministries (Measure 2).
Measure 1 – Promoting Decentralization or Federalism
Cameroon currently has ten regions. If the people opt for genuine decentralization, these regions can be maintained in the new system. If they choose federalism, a possible model could divide the country into three federated states:
· Northern State: comprising Adamaoua, North, and Far North regions
· Southern State: comprising Centre, South, and East regions
· Western State: comprising North-West, South-West, West, and Littoral regions
In either model, significant resources must be allocated to the regions or federated states. The central government’s budget should not exceed 40% of the national budget, focusing only on sovereign functions: security and national defense, currency, diplomacy, and justice.
It would be the central government's duty to define national policies, while local governments handle daily issues: water, electricity, education, healthcare, sanitation, and so on.
Measure 2 – Reducing the Number of Ministries and Central Institutions
Political observers all agree: Cameroon has too many ministries. A shift to true decentralization or federalism must be accompanied by a reduction in central ministries through logical mergers, eliminating fragmentation that hinders efficiency.
Examples of proposed mergers include:
· A single Ministry of National Education, merging:
o Basic Education
o Secondary Education
o Higher Education
o Scientific Research
o Employment and Vocational Training
o Youth Affairs
· One ministry for Environment, Nature Protection, Forests, and Wildlife
· One for Social Affairs, Women's Empowerment, and Family Welfare
· A unified Ministry of Culture, Sports, Arts, Entertainment, and Communication
· The Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises would be absorbed into a larger Ministry overseeing:
o Economy
o Agriculture and Rural Development
o Water and Energy
The ministries would cease to be operational arms of execution. Their role would shift toward:
· Designing national strategies
Regulating and overseeing public services