A deal has been concluded between the government of Cameroon and a French company, SOFREPOST to salvage the ailing Cameroon Postal Services (CAMPOST) sector in the country. Signing the contract in Yaounde on March 02, 2010 were the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and that of Finance. The presence of the two members of government underlines the determination to avoid errors of the post and give hope to thousands of citizens who saw their hard-earned savings disappear into thin air due to corruption.
Despite the dire desire to see nationals manage their affairs after half a century of independence, the choice was still on a foreign firm and with the experience of TECSULT, an Algerian business concern that left after the Canadians had also tried and failed, it is imperative that those handling the file should avoid another conduit pipe that will keep creating disillusionment among Cameroonians who had confidence in the Cameroon postal services in the past.

On the ground, the issues have been the difficulties to elaborate an organisational chart, produce a complete data base of CAMPOST creditors, harmonise the statutes of the personnel and put in place rules for the financial management of the postal bank among others. Beyond the technical medley, ordinary Cameroonians continue to find it incomprehensible that money they kept for rainy days vamoosed and, for over a decade, no clear explanation has been given so far.

Yet the importance of the sector cannot be undermined. The poor management that characterised postal services in the country has even led to a closure of some post offices whereas private individuals continue to make brisk business in the area by transporting goods and services across the country.

It may only sound reasonable to count on the good sense of the decision-makers to bring in the right persons to revamp the sector. The question of the field reality in Cameroon that may be different from what obtains in France, where SOFREPOST is coming, is a factor that cannot be neglected. The declaration of the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications that government learnt from past failures could be an indication that some safety measures have been taken to avoid errors of the past.

The first indicator that could allay fears of repeating the gloomy past could be the assiduity of the board of directors created by the Head of State on March 1, 2010. Looking at the nightmare that Cameroonians continue to suffer from the inability of CAMPOST to disburse their savings, the board members must provide a definite solution to the clients of CAMPOST by providing an expertise supervisory role over the activities SOFREPOST. Failing which, they will be standing on the wrong side of history.

Part of the security measures they must put in place will obviously be an unbiased and regular assessment of work on the ground, moving away from board meetings that only focus on signing attendance sheets and praising those called to transform CAMPOST into a viable structure. Consequently, the fruits must reflect the ambitions of the Head of State in creating the board.