Cameroon has strengthened control on public workers wages and compensation spendings with the publication of a new salary and pension framework by the Ministry of Finance.
The initiative designed to improve the management of public payroll and pensions aims to ensure greater transparency in salary processing, enhance the quality of case handling, and provide a clear reference for public-service users.
The compendium, released on the website of the Directorate General of Budget, brings together laws, decrees, orders and decisions that govern public-sector remuneration and the liquidation of pension rights from the establishment of Cameroon’s civil service to the present day. It is divided into three sections: “Management Texts”, dealing with remuneration for serving officials; “Pension Texts”, outlining pension entitlements; and “Texts Relating to the Cleansing of the Payroll File”, covering regulatory measures for payroll cleaning, including attachable salary portions and post-mortem payment reversals.
The guide is intended to help payroll officers and pension administrators understand salary elements, allowances and pension liquidation procedures. In 2024, government expenditure on salaries reached about 1,522.8 billion CFA francs, roughly 40% of tax revenue, according to the Ministry of Finance. “The present compendium of texts on salaries and pensions aims to educate actors in the payroll chain on the regulations governing pay and pensions, and to enlighten them on their evolution over time,” stated Louis Paul Motaze, Minister of Finance, in the document’s foreword.
The release comes as Cameroon continues efforts to strengthen public-finance management and reduce fiscal risks highlighted by the International Monetary Fund in its March 2025 assessment. By clarifying pay and pension rules, the Ministry expects to reduce irregular payments, prevent wage-bill leakages and enhance budget discipline. The initiative aligns with wider regional goals to curb rising personnel costs across Central Africa, where wage expenditure remains a major fiscal challenge.