A recent Afrobarometer survey, published last March, highlighted the pervasive nature of corruption in Cameroon. It revealed that 57% of Cameroonians reported paying bribes to avoid issues with the police. Nearly half admitted to bribing a public official for identity documents, and 37% for access to medical services.

In a candid interview, the exiled Cameroonian bassist, Richard Bona, expressed profound disappointment regarding the widespread corruption in his homeland, specifically targeting the younger generation.

“The youth in Cameroon are a corrupted youth. They have been raised in this manner. They have this way of operating: they just wait for crumbs from above. Apart from a few, truly rare exceptions, it is a corrupted youth. And I don’t even think Cameroon will overcome this.”

On social media platforms, many Cameroonians resonated with Bona’s viewpoint. One internet user commented, “Children know the police officer is coming not for their safety, but to take 500 francs.” This sentiment is also frequently heard on the streets of Yaoundé.

However, not everyone agrees with a blanket condemnation. “There are corrupt young people. But there is also a majority of young people who are victims of corruption,” stated one resident.

Another voice added, “Yes, there is a youth that takes shortcuts. Yes, there are reprehensible behaviors. But no nation is built by judging an entire generation based on its transgressions.”

Cameroon’s ongoing struggle with corruption

Cameroon’s battle against corruption continues to be an uphill one, as evidenced by its ranking of 142nd out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s latest index, published in February.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Conac), an entity under the Cameroonian presidency, underscored the severity of the issue in its 2024 report, stating that “Cameroon still bows under the weight of corruption. Billions of CFA francs continue to be embezzled from state coffers by individuals.”

An online commenter, identifying as a state employee, observed that “many young people no longer even recognize what is abnormal. They feed on corruption.”

Despite these observations, many Cameroonians contend that it is an oversimplification to label the entire youth population as corrupt.

“The most important thing to know is that a part of this youth is very resilient, combative, trying to do things correctly, with dignity, and inspiring hope,” emphasized one individual.

“Cameroon moves forward significantly thanks to its young people. If all of them were corrupt, the country would be at a standstill,” another pointed out.

Youth as victims of systemic corruption

For Akere Muna, founder of Transparency International Cameroon and an international anti-corruption consultant, Cameroonian youth are more accurately described as victims and “tacit accomplices” of corruption. He characterizes them as a generation “ambushed” by the system.

“Corruption in Cameroon is systemic. To say that young people are responsible for it… but they don’t manage anything. They endure it. They have to survive. So what happens? They play along. I believe young people must be aware that their future is mortgaged by this phenomenon of corruption. They should be able to denounce it.”

Muna, a former vice-president of Transparency International, further elaborated: “For forty years, we have had this culture where it’s not competence that brings advancement, it’s not hard work that brings advancement. Young people learn quickly. You need to know someone, you need nepotism, tribalism to get ahead.”

Muna advocates for an educational culture that instills the value of hard work, demonstrating that “if you are lazy, you do nothing, you will go nowhere.”

Conac, for its part, urges all public and private sector agents, as well as citizens, to mobilize and report corruption. The commission operates a green hotline, 1517, specifically for denouncing any acts of corruption.