Meaningful public sector transformation is fully achievable when a government actively embraces modern innovation, enforces strict institutional accountability, and transforms its structures to match the needs of its people.
This is the key take-home message formulated by experts and participants at the end of the first edition of the Cameroon Public Service Forum, held on June 24, 2026 at the Muna Foundation in Yaounde.
Organised by The Service Foundation under the theme “Transforming Public Institutions: Advancing Innovation, Accountability, Participation and Inclusion”, the event brought together experts from Cameroon, Africa and other parts of the world to brainstorm on modernize and accelerating public services to meet the expectations of consumers.
“Public service is very key at all levels of society today. Every citizen deserves better public service and we all have to realise that the quality of our public service relies on how the public we serve sees it,” Georges Essama, Chief Executive Officer of The Service Foundation said as he opened the forum.
He stressed on the importance of the gathering which to him was aimed at celebrating public agents for their daily sacrifices but also sensitise them on the need to always be at the service of the public they serve and to create a network for change in the various public administrations.
An idea that was fully welcomed by participants who echoed the need for a change of approach in serving the public especially in public administrations in Cameroon.
According to Dinyuy Brandon, participant from the public service, there is a growing disconnect between an evolving citizenry and the current institutional dispensation which makes it difficult to fully meet the needs of the public.
To him, the modernization of Cameroon’s public service must centre around citizen-driven initiatives.
The proposal falls in line with that of Dr. Pisso Nseke, researcher and expert in Public who stressed that citizens are increasingly educated, hyper-connected, and accustomed to instantaneous digital services. However, administrative procedures remain sluggishly tethered to a bygone era, he regretted.
Arguing that citizens must be placed at the heart of public administration, Dr Nseke proposed that measure be taken to ensure the simplification of administrative complexities, the heavy investment in strategic professional development, and the acceleration of digital transformation.
Examples from other African countries
While experts and participants agreed there is an urgent need to modernize the public service in order to make it more dynamic, flexible and accessible, they also stressed on adopting tailor-made approaches to local realities.
One of such approaches which is considered as a model and reference in Africa today comes from Kenya.
According to Aliyare Hassan, Senior Assistant County Commissioner at Kenya’s Ministry of Interior, the East African nation is reaping the benefits of overhauling its public by adopting an approach that relies on four pillars: innovation, accountability, participation, and inclusion.
Thus, Kenya successfully harmonized government services under centralized “e-Citizen” platforms and physical Huduma centres.
This approach helped in eliminating time wasting, cutting down on travel costs and limiting administrative and bureaucratic barriers.
The Huduma Centres consolidate over 5,000 digital government services into a single portal, enhancing accessibility. Pioneering mobile money innovations like M-Pesa have also revolutionized financial inclusion.
Another approach from Benin was also presented as the country has taken steps to digitalise the public service with close to 60 percent of public requests now being done online. Birth certificates, passport and other identification documents are easily obtained online without the intervention of a third party.
Such success story is one which The Service Foundation wants Cameroon to inspire itself from to modernize its own public service as the country strives for emergence.
“We do not just want to end at reflections but we want to see meaningful change through actions. That is why we brought the various stakeholders on the table to discuss. We hope this is a good start in our drive to modernize our public service,” George Essama, CEO of The Service Foundation said.
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