By Eboh Monica Akama
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya decrees and lays down the amount and conditions of increased allowance payments to higher education and other public institution researchers.
Decree No.2024/478 of 29 October 2024 to lay down the amount and conditions of payment of allowances granted to research personnel in public research institutions and higher education sector.
Under this new regulation, the monthly research bonus is set as follows: 140,000 CFA francs for research directors, 130,000 CFA francs for research supervisors, 110,000 CFA francs for research officers, and 90,000 CFA francs for research associates.
For the technical proficiency bonus, monthly amounts are set at 50,000 CFA francs for research directors, 40,000 CFA francs for research supervisors and officers, and 30,000 CFA francs for research associates. The decree annuls any previous provisions contrary to this text, including the decree from July 18, 1980, governing the status of researchers in Cameroon.
This regulation follows an August 8, 2023, decree granting a special status to researchers, revising the 1980 framework. The 57-article document clarifies conditions for recruitment, promotion, remuneration, and evaluation of researchers, addressing a long-standing demands regarding the working conditions and compensation.of researchers in the country .
University researhers after a protest last year were assured by the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of scientific research that their grievances have been forwarded to the President of the Republic and a lasting solution will be addressed.
Article 34 of the 2023 decree on special status specifies that researcher compensation comprises a base salary, a research bonus, and a technical proficiency bonus, with this recent decree establishing the precise amounts for these bonuses, allowances, and benefits.
The initiative government says aims to improve working conditions for researchers, upscale research quality for better results. Researhers are recognized as critical contributors to knowledge creation and innovation—key to national development. The president’s decree now addresses the sector’s long awaited expectations by enhancing the value of scientific research and technological progress. Under the August 2023 decree, a researcher is defined as “an individual engaged in the design or creation of new knowledge, products, methods, or systems based on scientific programming, contributing to solving problems and advancing humanity.”
