Minister of Finance (Minfi) Louis Paul Motaze recently issued a call for expression of interest to select independent firms that will audit the expenses carried out from March to December 2020 in the framework of the coronavirus response program.

According to the call, the mission will assess the covid-19-related contracts’ awarding processes, the relevance and transparency of the information published on the recipients of those contracts and the effective beneficiaries.

The mission will also ensure that the resources are managed in accordance with the financial management procedures in force and the laws governing transparency and good governance in Cameroon.

In the 2020 Amending Finance Law, the government set up a XAF180 billion solidarity fund to tackle the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.  

Biyearly reports expected

A decree signed on July 22, 2020, by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute set how the fund would be managed. It distributed the fund among 24 public administrations earmarking XAF131,948,400,000 for operating expenses and XAF48,051,600,000 for investments.

The Ministry of Public Health, which is in the front line of the fight against Covid-19, received XAF45.6 billion. The said Ministry’s management of the earmarked fund was audited, in January 2021, by the administration in charge of supreme state audit.

According to the July 22, 2020 decree, the Minister of Finance must publish a consolidated report on the expenses carried out in the framework of the fight against the coronavirus. This report published every semester will be based on the activity reports transmitted by the concerned ministers.

The same decree authorizes the audit chamber of Cameroon to carry out an independent audit on the use of the funds and present the results to the parliament.

As for the Ministry of Finance, it is allowed a period of 30 days from the end of every semester to publish the final report. The first report is still expected, however.

Dominique Mbassi