After submission for equivalence: Evaluation committee detects 25 fake certificates, rejects 10 others obtained abroad.

This was during its 118th and 119th sessions held in Yaounde Wednesday. 

Officials said 1,605 files obtained by Cameroonians in 249 institutions in 40 countries were evaluated during the 118th session while 1,642 files acquired by Cameroonians in 202 institutions in 48 countries were looked into during the 119th session.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Prof Gabsa Wilfred, chaired the session on behalf of the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo.

It was attended by a representative of the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office, and officials of other concerned ministries.

Prof Gabsa said the evaluation was coordinated by the Directorate of Academic Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education in line with established procedures and guidelines. 

He, however, said of the certificates declared fake or rejected could be re-examined and approved.

“It must be noted that the work in our commission is done by humans; errors can sometimes occur. There are diplomas we initially rejected as fakes, but after verification by competent structures, we find they are authentic. In such cases, the files are sent back to the commission for re-examination and eventual approval,” Prof Gabsa explained. 

Urges Cameroonians to be vigilant, law-abiding

The MINESUP scribe urged Cameroonians to be vigilant while embarking on academic journeys abroad. 

He said the government has taken steps to prevent Cameroonians who move to obtain certificates abroad from getting trapped in difficult situations where their certificates are either flagged as fake or rejected.

“Before a student enrolls or a parent pays tuition for their child in a higher education institution abroad, whether online or on-site, please verify with the Ministry of Higher Education if the establishment or the online programs are recognized,” Prof Gabsa stated. 

He insisted that the minister and the ministry have no issue with online training, especially as the Head of State is fronting digital through the E-National Higher Education Network, which also integrates Artificial Intelligence principles. 

He said for these programs to be valid in the country, the minister, who doubles as Chancellor of Academic Orders, must validate and approve the files to meet minimum standards applicable to the type of training.

Academic affairs director hails online system 

The Director in Charge of the Coordination of Academic Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education, Prof Fongod Augustina, reduced number of certificates declared fake or completely rejected, highlights the continuous role that the ministry’s online platform is playing in preventing Cameroonians from acquiring certificates that are not recognized.

She said all the 3,247 files submitted for consideration were done online, further demonstrating the growing reliability and success of the digital system and discouraging Cameroonians from intentionally submitting fake certificates for consideration owing to the effectiveness of the online system.

“I think the digitalisation of the system has actually helped us, because students will not want to upload fake certificates on the platform,” she said.

The rejected or fake certificates, she said, “represents about 0.7% of the files that we treated”. This, she said, is a “plus for the Ministry of Higher Education”.

The 3,247 files examined indicates an increase from the 2,888 that were looked into during the commission’s 116th and 117th sessions held in Yaounde in June 2025. 

The article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3729 of Thursday March 12, 2026