The fourth national recensement au Cameroun is currently navigating a turbulent period. Originally slated for completion on May 29th, the comprehensive population and housing enumeration exercise has been extended by two months through a decree signed by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. Far from alleviating concerns, this decision has intensified criticism from segments of civil society, who are highlighting significant organizational flaws in what should be a foundational statistical undertaking for public policy development.
Philippe Nanga, coordinator of the non-governmental organization Un Monde Avenir, did not mince words, describing a “general cacophony” surrounding a process he considers crucial for national planning. Nanga pointed to a telling example of the logistical disarray: in Douala, the nation’s economic capital, census agents reportedly abandoned their duties after just ten days in the field due to a complete lack of payment.
A strategic statistical operation under pressure
For any nation, a census serves as the cornerstone of public administration. It directly influences electoral redistricting, the allocation of budgetary resources to local communities, the appropriate sizing of educational and healthcare infrastructure, and the credibility of macroeconomic projections. Cameroon, whose last official count was conducted in 2005, has suffered from a deficit of current demographic data for many years. Consequently, the stakes for this fourth edition extended far beyond merely updating figures.
The two-month extension implicitly reveals the extensive challenges encountered on the ground. These obstacles have accumulated since the operation’s launch, including incomplete coverage of rural areas, delays in material distribution, and insufficient training for some enumerators. The social unrest initiated by agents in Douala further underscores a more structural vulnerability within the payment chain and human resource management for a project of such immense scale.
Civil society acts as a watchdog for a vital process
Through Un Monde Avenir, Philippe Nanga represents a segment of Cameroonian citizen organizations that rigorously monitor significant institutional processes. His public statements aim less to discredit the operation and more to demand accountability for its execution. Beneath the criticism lies a fundamental question: will the results produced under these conditions be statistically reliable and politically undeniable? This is not a trivial concern in a country where disputes over official figures, whether demographic or electoral, are recurrent.
The extension decreed by the Prime Minister’s office theoretically provides a window for recovery. However, this depends heavily on whether sufficient financial resources are subsequently allocated. Observing NGOs are cautioning that a rushed operation risks yielding only a partial snapshot of the Cameroonian population. International donors, such as the World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), who traditionally support such exercises across the continent, are also closely scrutinizing the methodological rigor of national enumerations.
A clear message to public authorities
Beyond Cameroon’s specific situation, this debate highlights a common challenge for several Francophone African states: organizing exhaustive censuses in contexts marked by tight budgetary constraints, difficult-to-access territories, and security challenges in certain regions. Cameroon’s previous census in 2005 also experienced successive delays before its final results were published in 2010. Two decades later, the nation still struggles to adhere to sustainable timelines for its statistical operations.
Nevertheless, Philippe Nanga’s public intervention could significantly influence the public discourse as the extended deadline approaches. Authorities are expected to demonstrate transparency regarding the operational framework, regularize outstanding payments owed to field agents, and communicate intermediate indicators. Failing this, the fourth census risks being remembered in Cameroonian administrative history more for its shortcomings than for its scientific contributions.