Minister of Telecoms denounces mammoth structuring of Camtel

Camtel, the public telecoms operator in Cameroon recently undertook a restructuring of the organisation and appointed new management.

From internal sources, we were informed that the new organisational chart enabled the merger of or simply the removal of some departments, particularly within divisions and departments.

This restructuring, authorised sources revealed, was made following a request from the new minister of Posts and Telecoms, Minette Libom Li Likeng, who, immediately after taking office, expressed her surprise on the extent of the expenditure of the national telecoms operator.

According to our sources, the organisational chart found by the minister showed approximately 120 directors and division heads.

After the organisational cleanup, this mammoth organisational chart now displays about 90 director and division head positions. Which still does not work out for the minister of Posts and Telecoms, who demands for more cuts, considering the expenditure imposed by the structure on this company which, due to its recurring financial difficulties, receives important financial support from the State.

Indeed, matching sources within Camtel indicate that, any employee appointed to the position of division head or director is automatically “weighted”. This expression commonly used within the company means that the salary of the promoted, whatever it may be, is automatically doubled.

Additionally, the person promoted is entitled to huge allowances for his accommodation, the fuel for the company car maintained by the company; an increase of his assignment allowances; a quota for telephone communications on all networks and sometimes for foreign calls, and for which the company is paying interconnection fees between operators…

From this vantage point, the multiplication of management positions contributes to further weakening the treasury of the company, which is already not good. “Camtel and Campost will now have to help in refilling the coffers of the State and not depleting them as was the case for some time”, the minister warned during her initial meeting with the management of the public companies in her charge (she was appointed on 2 October 2015).