There is usually a search for the salaries of the lowest and highest-paid civil servants in Cameroon. This is especially common among aspiring secondary school teachers, medical doctors, custom officers, military or police officers, BIR, medical laboratory scientists, custom officers, court registrars, etc.
It is no secret that these individuals looking to join Cameroon's public service do not want to settle for the minimum or lowest salaries in the country.
What is the Salary of the Highest-Paid Civil Servants in Cameroon?
The highest salary of a civil servant in Cameroon currently stands at 330,000 FCFA. This salary is only earned by a category A2 or grade A2 civil servant. It should be noted that category A2 is the highest category of public service in Cameroon.
Who is the highest-paid civil servant in Cameroon?
Governors in Cameroon are arguably the highest-paid civil servants in Cameroon. Though their salaries stay relatively the same as other members of the Category A2 category, they take home substantial allowances and control huge budgets in their respective regions of the country.
Ministers and Director salaries in Cameroon rank second, followed by Military generals.
Who is the Lowest paid civil servant in Cameroon?
The lowest-paid government officials receive 44,000 FCFA/month, a step from the previous 36,270 XAF per month. Cleaners and low-grade clerks usually fall in this category. These are figures from the last pay scale update on July 1, 2014.
How Does the Salary Scale in Cameroon Compare With Other African Countries?
The wages or salaries in Cameroon are among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Bank report published in November 2018, the highest monthly salary of a civil servant in Zambia is about 2,446 824 FCFA. Furthermore, the lowest salary is 171,198 FCFA. In Rwanda, the salary ranges are 1,251,281 FCFA and 168,925 FCFA, respectively .
To compensate for the low wages, the Cameroonian government increases public service remunerations. This comes in the form of many allowances and bonuses like risk allowances, special bonuses, performance bonuses, technical allowances, etc.
The report also mentions that the poor allocation standards inevitably make the wage structure in Cameroon extremely complex.
The World Bank Report on the Salary Organigram of Cameroon's Public Service
Also, the World Bank states that the Government of Cameroon sets up a daily allowance system to supplement or increase the standard salary of civil servants who participate in committees or special meetings.
Suggested: Cameroon government increases the retirement age of workers to 60 years.
This alone has resulted in a wide distortion in the Cameroon Public Service pay system. This shady practice, over time, has become a critical source of income for certain categories of civil servants. Government officers can earn between about 50,000 FCFA and 200,000FCFA per session and above. This can be up to more than 80 percent of their salaries.
This unscrupulous practice, the World Bank says, has resulted in a sprout of committees and meetings so that civil servants in higher categories can siphon monies into their pockets on the pretense of organizing administrative meetings.
"This phenomenon aggravates inequalities in the pay system because not all categories of civil servants have access to it," the World Bank concludes.