Pineapple Farm Hiring 25000 employees in Cameroon

Innocent Chia

With a spark of the match from whence revolutionary flames have been burning dramatically for the last two months in North Africa and the wider Middle East, President Biya of Cameroon began throwing teaspoons of water at his bubbling hot house. Two months to date on Cameroon’s annual national youth day, February 11th (2011), CEO Biya announced that his Pineapple Farm – the Cameroon Public Service - was going to be hiring 25000 Cameroonians. The tax-payer sponsored media – CRTV and Cameroon Tribune – have been all over heaping praises at his lordship for his foresight, benevolence, and visionary leadership. Even before the World Bank’s recent dismissal of Biya’s prank based on capacity and solvency, there are commonsensical questions that expose the propaganda for what it is.

Where are the jobs coming from at this time?

Twenty five thousand (25000) jobs by one employer within the same year is quite a feat. In fact, the world’s largest fast-food chain, McDonalds was on the news earlier this April because its North American stores will be hiring 50,000 new employees on the same day, April 19th. It was no April’s fool.  Other than that, one has very few other examples, including a special event like the 2010 US population census – population of 300 million – where the government hires as many temporal workers for a short and defined timeframe.

But the government of Cameroon is talking about growing close to 1/8 of its total labor force in one swoop and in the middle of a fiscal year. No one needs to tell me how much wool has been pulled over the eyes of fellow journalists in the Public media in Cameroon. But it is unpardonable to not ask how it is possible for the government to create a new budget line capable of hiring 25,000 fresh employees without consulting the national assembly? Where is the money coming from?Is it part of the discretionary spending from the Presidency? If it is, just how big is this discretionary line and what is it otherwise used for? Fancy trips to Europe and what else…? Respective Ministerial departments have not reported finding new lines of credit from which to hire. 

Hiring 25000 more is certainly not among recommendations of the Breton Woods Institutions, and probably informed the diplomatic response from the IMF/World Bank/African Development Bank delegation leader that there were discussions on two points: 1) how such a move could impact sustainable economic growth; 2) has the exercise of hiring 25,000 been budgeted. These are the times when failure to question the government, even by the state-run media, becomes a question of public betrayal and the public press must be held accountable. 

Where are you hiring from to do perform what tasks?

The government communication indicates that certificate holders are qualified to apply. Let us not waste time interrogating the type of certificate (First School Leaving Certificate, GCE O and A Levels, First Degree…). The communiqué is scanty on any details regarding the type of experience desired from the qualified candidates. The question then becomes that of knowing whether it is hiring to train or whether the tasks and responsibilities are part of the training required for the various certifications? In order words, if I am holder of a GCE O/level Certificate, what job skills should I have from the certification?

It is certainly true that most companies hire unskilled labor and spends a good deal of resources in training. Is this the position of the government? If so, when are the new hires expected to become a productive part of the economy? Besides, how does the government catch up with the work of those trainers who will have to split time between training sessions and their day to day responsibilities? Also, apart from retiring a few half-dead generals, the government has not shrunk in size by the relative growth that it is mandated to now grow by. There is no question that public service rows are replete with cadavers and others long retired or cheating the country from their “green pastures” in the Diaspora. Shame on the last category!

Cameroonians must realize that the machete will chop off someone’s head for the government to grow by 25000 in a year. I will not dismiss the possibility that the government can plan to reduce the retirement age; reduce pensions; reduce salaries; increase taxes…or a combination of the above and many more draconian options. Governments around the world are very inefficient structures and it is generally difficult to fire workers that are known to be unproductive. So, we can safely rule out the possibility of firing such a huge chunk of the workforce. 

Plot to scam the poor out of money?

It is a thought that has grown in magnitude in my mind, informed primarily by the financial gain that the government stands to make. Let us take a look at the cost of fiscal stamps for each application. On average, an applicant is spends about CFA 12,500 frs for a complete application. Of this amount, a minimum of CFA 10,000 frs is on the purchase of stamps. It is reported that as many as 180000 have applied for the 25000 openings. Let us multiply 10,000 x 180000. Our in-house mathematicians will hopefully confirm that there is a grand total of CFA1.8 billion generated by the government, accounting for a sizeable portion of Cameroon’s 2010 country budget expenditure of $4.5 billion. (I agree that using two currencies is confusing...)

Remember these are just the applicants that have been tabulated, and this estimate is based on average expenditure of CFA 10,000 frs per candidate.Think about the thousands of unemployed men and women who will bribe with larger sums to secure their positions. This money is certainly not going to be reported anywhere. But we do know that the usual suspects will be getting richer and richer on the dime of the poor. The fact also remains that the government is organizing the vampire party.

Elections before end of the year

Every observer knows what is at stake here: 2011 is supposedly a presidential election year. “Supposedly” I say because there is no officially confirmed date in the likely months of October or November known by all political parties, candidates or the electorate. The guesstimate is that it will take place in October because the last election was on October 11, 2004. But it is not strange in this soccer idolizing nation for anything and everything to happen at the President’s convenience. Even the national football finals are not scheduled to take place on a particular date - the third Sunday of November, for instance. Instead, I recall as a sportscaster how many times we waited in anticipation for confirmation from the Presidency on when the national football finals would be played. Can anyone state how indispensable the President is to the national cup finals? Or can it be explained how challenging it is to national security if some of these dates are a matter of public knowledge like May 20th or February 11th?

Yet, there is a black hole on the all important and historic subject of Presidential elections. Without a doubt, incumbents in Africa and other “God-Chose-only-me” autocracies have reasoned that a discretionary date is a weapon that can be conveniently deployed to destroy potential rivals, especially those coming from the Diaspora. In this case, the incumbent President is aware of the opponent’s date of arrival into the country and a decision to push forward with an “anticipated” election are always a real threat. But that is not all.

With doctored victory guaranteed even before the ballot, the Biya clan has started deploying missiles to kill imagined and real mosquitoes. On the heels of youth movements that have uprooted the almighty Mubarak and Ben Ali; a disenchanted populace that is forcing Gaddhafi’s hand at the negotiating table; an international community has bombed out Gbagbo from bunker in Abidjan and is willing to be on the right side of history; a passionate, educated and resourceful Diaspora...the reactionary Biya figures he can preempt the inevitable if he just throws some bones at the barking dogs by hiring 25000 Cameroonians.  

The timing is no coincidence.It takes an average of seven (7) months to pay the first salary of a new hire, thereby earning a first salary just before elections. What political genie! Who would not vote for Biya? Even more important, Biya is recruiting an army of 25000 more volunteers to his campaign. There are currently over one hundred and eighty thousand (180000) reported applicants for the 25,000 openings.

In the worst case scenario these are battalions of young and unemployed Cameroonians who will go the extra mile in a campaign if only someone whispered in a backroom that there is potential for them to be retained in the public service. How far is this picture far from day to day reality? Just ask the majority of Cameroonians who write entrance examinations into professional schools year-in-year-out. Talk to the old wrinkled parent whose life savings from tilling coffee or cocoa farms is handed off to a bureaucrat in return for the promise of a classroom seat. A promise!

Shall we, for a jiff, examine what that promise is? It is no guarantee that your son or daughter will pass the exams. It is also a non-refundable investment, especially when the candidate fails. But when the candidates pass, that investment serves as initial down payment for corruption. Think of it this way: A student pays CFA 1.5 million frs (roughly $3,000) to be admitted into the faculty of Medicine in Yaounde or the School of Administration and Magistracy. Does (s)he not see it as a return on investment when they ask a dying patient at the hospital to pay for oxygen, or pay the magistrate for a fair ruling in court? I think I digressed enough...

These are some of the reasons that frustrate me the most when I read supposedly educated opinions who think that Biya deserves another seven year term to bring about change and prosperity in Cameroon. It won’t happen. Change can and will happen when Cameroonians who still believe in the country understand that Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans and Ivoirians are on streets in spite themselves. 

 

Comments

[DonHills]

2billion(Money received from applicants) devide by[25000 times 50000(average monthly salaries of workers) gives you 2months.

Some Cameroonians get satisfied 2months before election,Biya gets the name,the farm keeps the proceed,La Republic moves on.

Thats the scam

[greg huguley]

Innocent, I take it you are NOT a fan of President Biya? Would you support Cameroonian revolutionary action, simmilar to Egypt, Tunsinia, or libya?

[J. Dinga]

It would be so much better to make the investment climate conducive to new investment, so that private companies thrive and employ young undergraduates roaming the streets. Government must not be the sole employer! Mr. Government and its agents should relax and give the private sector some oxygen so that it can employ. That is how to stimulate the economy!

[Ngahchangong]

This is not the first time that this regime has scammed cameroonians,remember the "Operation Coup d'ceur(if my spelling is correct)of USA94?
Watch out folks and especially Southern Cameroonians,come October 01/2011,we are celebrating and Re-instating the Independence of our home land,Biya will do best to create onfusion towards this period with the Presidential Election,surely prior,because there is bound to be rioting.Watch out

[Tan Marie]

I swear, dictatorship must come to an end in Africa.The light of Cameroon must shine this 2011!Biya Must Go! All the African dictators should be jailed for the number of years they have suffered their fellow citizens, and paid that same 25.000 CFA to feed their family. They need to feel the pain,cry and suffering of their people.After ruling for over thirty years, when will change come?Chantal, i know men listens to their husbands,please advice Paupo. Paupo,step down and gain more respect rather than disgrace, heart attack or death. Which would you prefer? Cameroon is known to be a peaceful country and we want that peace to reign.Don't let what has happened to other countries happen to Cameroon.AMen!!

[china boy]

war started in cote d,ivoire and is almost coming to a close without popo saying anything,either for gbagbo or for watara.he is confuse,he doesn,t know who to surport.the dictator in gbagbo or the newly elected in watara.this is becose his time too is coming where he too will be like gbagbo.let us wait and see what he will say to watara now that he is the president in cote d,ivoire.i know he had hope that gbagbo win but it turned otherwise.popo ur time is up. Be wise and go before you regret it like your freind gbagbo.

[antagg]

I know Chia it is not comfortable to go out and riot but you have to go out if you want change. For change (freedom)have never been given on a platter of gold, it has to be fought for. I hope Cameroonians realize that.

[limbekid]

The rate of unemployment in Cameroon is preoccupying, but can we attribute this solely to government or an individual?

The African diaspora should understand that we are our own primary market. As such, we cannot limit our contributions to throwing stones from outside or pooh poohing every initiative.

Before we complain about poverty, we must examine our claim to prosperity. It is common knowledge that a society gets wealthy either through value creation or value transfer. How can Cameroon be rich, when the "Made in Cameroon" brand is almost inexistent?

I guess a politically incorrect reason for the high rate of unemployment in developing economies would be: an inherent defficiency of creative genius. However, we all know it is not that simple. There are many other reasons for our predicament, notably:

- Lack of enabling environment (erratic power supply, corruption, opaque legal framework...)
- poor educational foundation (emphasis on courses ill-suited to our developmental needs)
- The creative industry (fashion, entertainment, cabinet making, hair dressing...) has been undermined and undervalued, and considered only for the dregs of society
- Lack of a job exchange (courses are pursued regardless of the demands of the job market)
- Underperfoming or poorly advertised institutions (agencies like the following have failed to justify their existence: MIPROMALO, SYNDUSTRICAM, GICAM, NOIFZ, the DSX, the Chamber of Commerce...)
- Lack of a corporate culture(the informal sector does no guarantee pereniality and quality). Expansion opportunities are missed because sole operators shun partnership
- Unconventional financial setups (Njangi, tontine) which do not promote capital circulation.

These are just some of the reasons for Cameroon`s economic stagnation, hence high level of unemployment.

[John Dinga]

Limbekid or whatever your true identity is, you have said some very important things in this comment. One must agree with you about the stagnation of the private sector and its impact on unemployment. But having so nicely brought ought the monster, you failed to clinch your insightful observation by drawing attention to the the overriding role played by an oppressive regime to bring this about! Why?

Is the lack of competition not the root cause of it all? What the CPDM is practicing is simply called MONOPOLY and this cancer has naturally permeated the whole society. Well placed persons within the ruling party structure are responsible for stymying the development of alternatives. Pick any area of human activity you like - education, the press, sports, manufacture, anything - and apply this simple rule to it and see if anti-competition has not affected it. You ever heard of "patente"? That is one killer of private enterprise. Go see how many startups have fallen on the wayside because "patente" agents visited and placed the final nail on the coffin.

Importers cannot bring in foreign products into the local market, ostensibly to protect local industries but then, try the local products made under the lack-of-compoetition conditions and see whether you really want to patronize again. Enter any of the newly constructed houses and check how many walls are cracked from roof to floor as a result of poor quality cement work. This is only one example and you can multiply this by any number of other activities citizens would love to engage in. For how long have delegations upon delegations gone out to various countries to woo foreign investors to come to the great triangle? What has been the outcome? Of course we are still to introduce the basic recommendations given when the first mission went out - improve the investment climate by making jurisprudence available to protect against over-bearing heavyweights and their cronies, a stifled press to ferret and focus searchlight on miscreants etc etc.

[limbekid]

@ John Dinga,

happy to know you read my comments.

I`m sure you didn`t miss my comment on the lack of an enabling environment (corruption, opaque legal environment), as well as my criticism of certain structures (NOIFZ, MIPROMALO...) failing in their duty to promote investment.

I always prefer to steer away from partisan analyses.

I can only partly agree with you on the effects of monopoly culture. There are certain sectors of an economy which cannot be stifled by monopoly, notably creative industries. Holywood, Nolywood and Bolywood are multy-million dollar industries, employing thousands (possibly millions) in the process. If Chadians can win prices at the Cannes film festival why not Cameroonians? If you write a best seller or design award-winning soft-ware no government can limit your market. I`m sure you observations on "patentes" is based on experience, but economies need to expand to absorb new entrants and that can only be done either by seeking new markets or introducing new products. If we stick to the traditional sectors it is bound to be frustrating for future generations.

[hilary]

enough is enough. let paul biya step down. what can he do that he has not been able to do for 29 years? is he the only cameroonian who can rule?

[hilary]

i am ashamed of cameroon. at times i feel so ashamed telling people i am a cameroonian.cameroon is so underdeveloped, backward and poor, all because of the poor management of that country by biya and his government. when they go to europe, asia, USA, then come back to cameroon, how do they feel? cameroon is a mess. no roads, schools, hospitals, water and electric supply very limited, no sport fields, communication network is a mess, unemployemnet rate is unbeleivable, no touristic sites or attractions, embezzlement is alarming, where are we heading to? let biya give up. we need a leader who will clean the mess of biya and his government.

[Mens Bootcut]

I can only partly agree with you on the effects of monopoly culture. There are certain sectors of an economy which cannot be stifled by monopoly, notably creative industries. Holywood, Nolywood and Bolywood are multy-million dollar industries, employing thousands (possibly millions) in the process. If Chadians can win prices at the Cannes film festival why not Cameroonians? If you write a best seller or design award-winning soft-ware no government can limit your market. I`m sure you observations on "patentes" is based on experience, but economies need to expand to absorb new entrants and that can only be done either by seeking new markets or introducing new products. If we stick to the traditional sectors it is bound to be frustrating for future generations.

[Mens Bootcut]

I can only partly agree with you on the effects of monopoly culture. There are certain sectors of an economy which cannot be stifled by monopoly, notably creative industries. Holywood, Nolywood and Bolywood are multy-million dollar industries, employing thousands (possibly millions) in the process. If Chadians can win prices at the Cannes film festival why not Cameroonians? If you write a best seller or design award-winning soft-ware no government can limit your market. I`m sure you observations on "patentes" is based on experience, but economies need to expand to absorb new entrants and that can only be done either by seeking new markets or introducing new products. If we stick to the traditional sectors it is bound to be frustrating for future generations.

[Mens Bootcut]

But the government of Cameroon is talking about growing close to 1/8 of its total labor force in one swoop and in the middle of a fiscal year. No one needs to tell me how much wool has been pulled over the eyes of fellow journalists in the Public media in Cameroon. But it is unpardonable to not ask how it is possible for the government to create a new budget line capable of hiring 25,000 fresh employees without consulting the national assembly? Where is the money coming from?Is it part of the discretionary spending from the Presidency? If it is, just how big is this discretionary line and what is it otherwise used for? Fancy trips to Europe and what else…? Respective Ministerial departments have not reported finding new lines of credit from which to hire.

[Bamendankwe girl]

Cameroonians are just like sheep,and any time biya and his evil clique evoke the hearts of Cameroonians and invent a different strategy of manipulation they fall for it. What Cameroonians need is to declare a National Fast and prayer in order for them to uproot the devourer who has taken hold of this rich and beautiful country through their satanic powers. God has been waiting for long for all Cameroonians to talk to him in truth and in spirit regarding this matter but the Cameroonians themselves have no confidence that God can make it happen.
Please let us take it by violence otherwise our children will go on suffering for too long. I am talking here about Holy violence.

[Emmanuel Elangwe]

@Bamendakwe Girl
Very funny...National Fast and Prayer day. I can't stop laughing. At the least, you offered a solution , I didn't. So pardon my laughter...