Gov't urges CENADI to make Cameroon digitally independent.

The minister noted that there was still a noticeable lag in the adoption of digitalisation in Cameroon even in highly placed public offices. 

He stated that the report of the study represents a launching pad for Cameroonians in general, but in particular, economic operators in both public and private sectors to fully embrace digitalization.

Motaze harped on the need for the country to be digitally independent, adding that digital sovereignty is a sin qua non for actual independence in economic, political and other sectors.

“Safeguarding important public information and statistics can only be made possible in this modern age, through digital sovereignty,” the minister stated. 

He said the CENADI report should serve as wakeup call for all Cameroonians to fully embrace the digital world, especially as Artificial Intelligence, AI, will continue pushing many people who are scared by digitalisation further and further to the backyard of modern society.

Bumpy road so far

For the Director of CENADI, Prof Mveh Chantal Marguerite, the State institution is still trading on a bumpy road. She said the country lacks the infrastructure needed to sustain modern-day datacenters, which require the majority multiple sources of uninterrupted energy supply in order to function optimally.

She insisted that the government cannot talk of digital sovereignty when it still relies heavily on foreign infrastructure and foreign expertise in order to feed and secure its database. 

The CENADI boss expressed optimism that an up-to-date and well-furnished database has potential to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, foster local innovations and attract foreign investors.

Prof Mveh said most of the data centers in the country are small and medium-sized, without any certification or accreditation. A situation which she said, raises questions about infrastructure security, and the ability of these datacenters to cope with disasters.

She also touched on the challenge of connectivity. Asserting that it remains a major challenge to operators, as datacenters cannot operate optimally without improved internet access and adequate bandwidth.

She decried the absence of a well-trained staff to handle datacenters; the lack of an appropriate law to guide the sector; as well as the near absence of collaboration between the different stakeholders.

She said it hinders the ability of datacenters to provide up to date and quality services to Cameroonian investors, economic operators and foreigners alike.

Delving on the theme of the event: “Data Centers in Cameroon: Competitiveness and Viability”, the CENADI boss said competitiveness cannot be enhanced in the absence of incentive measures to encourage the development of datacenters. 

She said data centers cannot function in an atmosphere where internet connection is not only epileptic, but of a very narrow band, asserting that improvement in internet access will surely facilitate the sharing of information, enable datacenters to render reliable services, and make shared information timelier and more impactful.

Prof Mveh expressed worry that even the few existing datacenters do not respect international norms on security of information and other regulations.

She called on operators of datacenters to adopt sustainable and permanent solutions to the challenges they face, instead of resorting to short term measures in resolving problems, which she said, aggravate environmental problems in the country.

She said every data center has at least ten sectors requiring staff of different competencies. Their grading and international classification is based on the caliber of experts manning the center, reason why she said, Cameroon is still ranked far down the ladder, when it comes to digital adaptation and operationalization of datacenters.

“Data centers are a constituent element to the digital transformation of Cameroon. Implementing the recommendations of this report will go a long way towards reinforcing Cameroon’s position on the African digital space and improve the living conditions of the citizens”, Prof Mveh concluded. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3456 of Monday May 26, 2025