The Cameroonian Minister of Employment and Professional Training, Zacharie Pérévet, has just announced that the major construction projects in Cameroon, within the framework of the governments construction projects, have already enabled the creation of 9,953 jobs for nationals. This included 3,030 jobs in 2012, “the year that marks the start of data collection by the ministry,” highlights Mr Pérévet, and 6,923 jobs in 2013.

According to the ministerial department’s forecast, approximately 16,000 jobs are available to nationals through these projects. To integrate these nationals, the Ministry of Employment, in collaboration with its sub-organisations, such as the National Employment Fund (FNE), implemented a data base for skilled job applicants, to make construction projects available to companies. But, on the ground, although nationals are present on these sites, the majority of them are in menial jobs.

During a site visit paid by heads of the steering committee for the Kribi deep water port construction project, for example, the committee was surprised to find that there was no Cameroonian engineer on the site where there were 300 Chinese engineers. Asked about this, one of the heads of the Chinese company simply answered, embarrassed, that no Cameroonian engineers applied.

Yet, in a communiqué from Prime Minister Philémon Yang, relative to foreign investments and signed on June 13, 2012, jobs have to be held by nationals in specific proportions. He stresses that, “at least 50% of jobs must go to nationals, with nationals in 60% of senior posts with oversight and 85% at least for manual labour.”