On January 2, 2021, an internet user tweeted an allegation claiming that every year, a budget line is set in the finance law to enable the president to make donations. The user went further to state that the budget set aside for that purpose this year is XAF106 billion. “For those of you who usually wonder where the president of the republic usually finds the funds for all the donations he makes, the answer lies in finance laws. This year, the budget devoted to that purpose is XAF106 billion,” the Tweet reads in French.

However, this is a hoax. There is no such line in the 2021 finance law for president Paul Biya’s donations. When looking through the said law, the account "769" labeled "Exceptional Donations from International Cooperation" is rather part of the revenues (exactly XAF106.9 billion) expected by the State. That is to say, the said account is set for donations from foreign partners without direct counterparts in the framework of various projects and programs.  

“It has nothing to do with the President of the Republic’s expenses. It rather means that donors could provide up to XAF106.9 billion of financial assistance. Sometimes those donations are in kind, but are evaluated in monetary terms," sources at the Ministry of Finance explained.

Let’s note that the president’s expenses are included in the “Government operating expenditure” heading. The 2021 budget for that heading is XAF303.45 billion.

Sylvain Andzongo