Background Information

• GDP per capita (2000/2001) : 4 356 FCFA ( US $ 1 = 700 FCFA)
• GDP distribution by sector (200/2001)

Primary sector 24 %
Secondary sector 31 %
Tertiary sector 45 %

¨ Population (2000) : 15 292 000
¨ Population distribution by age groups

Age groups %
0-5 19,7%
6-14 24,3%
15-54 48,6%
55 + 7,4%

¨ literacy rate : 62 %

¨ Secondary school enrollment by gender (%)
Male: 53%
Female: 47%
Total: 100%

• Higher education enrollment : 2,3%
• Technical education enrollment : 21 %
• Number of classrooms/100 inhbts : 4,3 ( Total population)

2 - Curent situation on Information and Communication Technoligies

• Number of TV sets/1000 inhbts ( N.A ) (in1988, 16,4% of families have TV set)
• Number of computers/1000 inhbts (N.A).

(Identify te firms) Monopoly Duopoly Open competition Number of custumers
Telephone (fixed) X 100 000
Cellular X 250 000
Data Networks X 320 000 (YDE+ Dla + SW)
Internet service providers 80 (Yaoundé + Douala)
Cable/Satellite TVNetwork X

3- National Strategy for ITC For development

1. Does your country have an independent regulatory body?
Yes : it is the board of regulations of telecommunications, a public organism, which is in charge of regulation in that sector.

2. What are the responsibilities of the regulation body?
To assure the regulation, the control and the following up of the activities of exploiters and of operators of telecommunications sector.

3. Does your country have a national IT policy and/or a strategy ?
(policy : NO, strategy : NO )
This policy is being elaborated

4. What are the priorities in the national it strategy ?

The policy is being elaborated and it is still under the acceptance of cameroonian government
We can cite two priorities.
a) To accelerate the integration of Cameroon in the globalization.
b) To prevent the possible numerical breaking linked to the application of ICT that's to say that to distribute in an equitable manner the different advantages of ICT

In term of perspective of action, the axes identified are based on :

-The realization of infrastructures such as electricity, telephone…
-The popularisation ( including training).
-The modernization of Public administration by using computers (intranet, publishing public texts);
-The equipment and the connection of research and of school for the broadcasting of information and of knowledge;
-The development of enterprise through the net economy;
-The implantation of the "telemedicine"
-The adaptation of a national juridic setting under and security./-

5. What are the institutions in charge of elaborating or implementing this strategy?

The Ministry of scientific an technical Research has received a way out in july 2000 to coordinate the preparation of a governmental strategy as ICT is concerned.

Some others administrations and organisms are involved such as the ministry of posts and telecommunication, the Ministry of communication, the Ministry of higher Education, the Ministry of Public Investment, The Ministry of economy and Finances, the board of regulation of telecommunications…

6. What are the three main constraints and the three opportunities to IT as a factor of development in the country ?

The three mains constraints are :
- the problems of infrastructures such as telephone, electricity. ..
- the problems of training( the actors are not trained);
- the Institutional problems such as the creation of a favourable environment and setting for the actors.

The opportunities:
- the creation of jobs ( the development of technologies of information can help the government to fight against on unemployment ;
- The benefit of advantages of globalisation. ;
- The factors linked to the industrialization.

7. What are the primary constraints that need to be addressed as priority for human resources and capacity development in the country

We can cite :
-The problem of Education ;
-The unbalance of development between rural and urban areas
-We observe a large concentration in urban areas because of the presence of some infrastructures
- The mastering of technology training

8. What priorities would you need support in implementing

We need help for all the above mentioned actions.
The action being put today the realisation of infrastructures, the popularisation, the modernisation of the state functioning, the development of the enterprise and the creation of a favourable framework and environment.

4- Private Sector

1. What are the three main business associations organizations in the country ?

-The chamber of trading, Mines and Industry (CCIM)
-The Interpatronal grouping of Cameroon (CICAM)
-The Industrial Labour Union of Cameroon (SYNDUSTRICAM)

2. What roles are they playing regarding IT Strategies priorities

Some big enterprises are doing a lot of efforts, especially those involving in the trading , marketing and exchanges sector. Some surfing places are developing and they participate to the mobilisation. The telephone mobile Industries play an important role at the level of communication.

3. What is the contribution expected from the private sector to the implementation of IT strategy?

The expected contribution is very important, especially at the level of infrastructures of training and of popularisation

4. What areas in ICT would be critical for foreign investments?

It is particularly at the areas of infrastructures (telephones) and on qualified workers

5. People connectivity who are the most important users of internet in your country ?

1 - Companies/business customers
2 - Associations/ Civil Society
3 - Schools and Universities
5 - Public Administration
4 - Private households/individuals

6 - Others

1 - Who are the donors that support ICI projects in your country and what type of projects do they support?
As donors we have : the UNDP, France, Japan and the CISCO system ( private partners)

They finance the following types of projects :
- Support of Elaboration of strategy ;
- Broad casting ;
- Training in order to create jobs ;
- Institutional Support as for as infrastructures are concerned ;
- Support of Elaboration of an Institutional framework

2 - What are you expecting from your country's participation to the workshop.

Our main expectation in to have enough profit of experiences of other countries and to see how the Cameroon could apply them.

3- Do you have substantive results/ lessons learnt/ practices that you would like to present during the workshop?
No