Minister of Labor and Social Security (Mintss), Grégoire Owona, on April 16, 2025, announced a national call for tenders for a feasibility study on establishing the National Fund for State Personnel (CNPE). This initiative follows Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute's announcements to the National Assembly in November 2023 regarding the structuring of this new institution.
The project aims to modernize pension management for Cameroonian civil servants and state contract employees. The initial phase involves an actuarial feasibility study. The call for tenders specifies that only companies based in Cameroon with demonstrated expertise in actuarial science are eligible to bid. The maximum timeframe for completing the services is four months from the issuance of the service order. The estimated cost of the study is 40 million CFA francs, inclusive of all taxes.
Currently, social security in Cameroon is primarily handled by two entities: the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS) for private sector workers and the Public Treasury for civil servants and state contract employees. However, these systems only cover workers in the formal sector, representing a small segment of the population. Even voluntary insurance, available to informal economy workers since 2016, has not significantly increased the social coverage rate, which remains inadequate.
As part of a broader reform of the social protection system, the Cameroonian government has undertaken several measures to expand and optimize its management. Authorities aim to increase the social coverage rate from approximately 25% currently to over 50% by 2030. To achieve this, reforms include revitalizing voluntary insurance through enhanced promotion and extending it to uncovered populations, expanding the formal social security system to include liberal professions, and improving pension management through the creation of the CNPE.
Thierry Christophe Yamb