Government-by-Government Assessments: Cameroon
During the review period, the government made significant progress by reviewing its budget throughout the fiscal year. The government published its enacted budget and end-of-year report online within a reasonable period, but not its executive budget proposal. The budget provided a substantially full picture by including major sources of revenue and expenditure. Information on debt obligations was publicly available and updated quarterly, including for state-owned enterprises. Allocations to and earnings from state-owned enterprises were not identified in budget documents, and few state-owned enterprises produced financial statements. The government broke down expenditures to support executive offices. The government maintained off-budget accounts not subject to adequate audit or oversight. Information in the budget was considered generally reliable. The supreme audit institution did not meet international standards of independence; however, it audited the entire annual executed budget and reports contained substantive findings. The government specified in law or regulation and appeared to follow in practice the criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licenses. Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was publicly available.
Cameroon’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:
- Making its executive budget proposal publicly available within a reasonable period;
- Including in budget documents allocations to and earnings from state-owned enterprises;
- Eliminating off-budget accounts or subjecting them to adequate audit and oversight; and
- Ensuring the supreme audit institution meets international standards of independence.