The National Anti-Corruption Observatory is a government body in
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
that investigates
political corruption,
["2005 Investment Climate Statement".] organises anti-corruption initiatives, and monitors the government's anti-corruption efforts.
[Ndikum 85.] The observatory is made up of 15 members
and is part of the office of the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
.
The body has no legal enforcement powers; relevant government bodies must prosecute any corruption allegations.
History
The observatory was founded in January 2000 by President
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. , then under pressure to respond to allegations of
human rights violation
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
s in Cameroon.
[Jimo et al. 84.] The
U.S. State Department and
Transparency International
Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...
criticise the body as largely ineffectual due to its inability to prosecute accused corrupt members of government and its alleged lack of concrete accomplishments.
The observatory received no funding in 2004, which the U.S. State Department cites as further proof of Cameroon's lukewarm approach to fighting corruption.
Notes
References
*
2005 Investment Climate Statement -- Cameroon. U.S. Department of State. Accessed 8 April 2007.
*
CAMEROON: New anti-corruption drive leaves many sceptical. 27 January 2006. ''IRIN''. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Accessed 8 April 2007.
* Jimo, Hakeem, Tidiane Sy, and Dame Wade.
West and West-Central Africa'. Global Corruption Report 2001. Transparency International. Accessed 8 April 2007.
* Ndikum, Gerald. "Cameroon's anti-corruption campaign: a paper tiger?"
West and West-Central Africa'. Global Corruption Report 2001. Transparency International. Accessed 8 April 2007.
2000 establishments in Cameroon
Government of Cameroon
Anti-corruption agencies
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