The effectiveness and efficiency of public administrations and consequently administrative reforms are a major concern to all modern States. For this reason they put in place, depending on their specific context, mechanisms and  institutions to  address   the  issue.  Cameroon for example decided to create the Permanent Secretariat for Administrative Reform (PSAR).

This  study   focuses   on  its  historical  evolution, its  missions,  its  structures,  its  human resources, its methods of intervention, its customers, its achievements, and its challenges.

 

    HISTORICAL EVOLUTION

 

From the early years of Cameroon’s independence in 1960, officials became aware of  the  need   to improve  the  methods of administrative work; the cost of running  the administration was almost consuming the entire budget of the State.

Two structures were  then  put  in  place  to  solve the   problem  of  improving   State   management: the Ministry of Economy, Plan and Regional Development  (preparation  of  the   development plan  and  its implementation in terms  of regional development); the General State Inspectorate (Supreme  State  Audit of public  services  from the administrative and financial point of view).

On February 25, 1969, «the Central Service for Organization and Methods (SCOM)»,  a    real forerunner of the PSAR, was created by decree n ° 69/ DF / 45 of February 25, 1969. The SCOM, attached to the Presidency of the Republic, was then a body charged with the study and the rationalization of administrative work making it possible to render the management more economical and administrative services more effective

 

Initially placed  under  the  authority of the  Deputy Minister  Delegate  for the  Federal  Public  Service, given  the  many  difficulties relating  to that attachment, the  SCOM was placed  by Decree  No.75/467  of  28  June  1975  under   the  authority  of the Minister delegate to the General Inspection of the State and Administrative  Reform. (IGERA). As a service attached to the Presidency of the Republic, it as the mission to determine the principles and means of implementation of the administrative reform policy enacted by the national development plan.

The provisions of Decree No.78/954 of 21 April 1978 on the organization of the  services of IGERA enshrined the substitution of the Division of Administrative   Reform  (DRA) for  SCOM, which will later  become the  Division of  Research  and Administrative    Reform   (DERA) by   Decree   No.88/1051 of August 21, 1988 on the organization of the Ministry of Public Service and State Control to which the DERA was attached.

During the 5^th National Development Plan, the Administrative Reform Division   continued the follow up and development of the major actions undertaken in the modernization of the administration; thanks to the increased personnel and material resources.

Beyond the prompt  interventions, the Administrative Reform had  to carry out a general  and  permanent prospection of the  organizational difficulties  and the problems of reform faced by the ministries and the  public  organizations in  accordance with  the missions devolved to the National Committee of the administrative reform, (CNRA) , created by Decree No. 78/361 of 24 August 1978.

 

By the provisions of Decree No. 94/160 of 16 August 1994 on the organization of the  Ministry of Public Service  and   Administrative   Reform  (MINFOPRA), the Permanent   Secretariat for Administrative Reform (PSAR) replaced DERA, its missions  and  its structuring were defined.

Decree  No. 97/205  of  7  December 1997  on  the organization of the Government in Article 5, paragraph 17,  states   that  MINFOPRA  is, through the PSAR, the Government adviser on organization and  administrative reform. The  PSAR is therefore, a consultative body  for the  modernization of the administrative apparatus, distinct from the tradition of the  School  of Scientific Organization of work, which  is  rather   focused   on  the   analysis  of  the structures and procedures within the ministries and State Agencies.

 

By  Decree  Nos. 2004/320  of  08  December  2004 and  2011/408   of  09  December  2011,  The  PSAR plays  the  role  of Government Counsel  in matters of administrative reform.  The head  of the PSAR has rank and prerogatives of a Secretary General in the central administration.

 

The senior officials, who have been  at the  head  of the structure from SCOM to PSAR, from its inception to the present day, include:

 

• Mr. ATANGANA FUDA Christophe was the first chief of the Central Service «Organization and Methods» (SCOM),  of the  Division of Administrative  Reform from 1969 to It is under  his management that the first Counsellors were trained  at the Institute of Higher Studies and Organization Techniques (IESTO) of the  National  Conservatory  of Arts and  Crafts - CNAM of Paris;
• Mr. MANGA NENGUE Pascal managed the Division of Studies and  Administrative  Reform from  1986 until his death He sent a number of Advisers to be trained at the Higher Institute of Economic and Commercial Sciences (ISSEC) and at the International Management and Development of France. The first Assistants  Administrative  Advisers in Organization were appointed by Presidential decree  n ° 87/106 of January 26th, 1987;
• MAÏMO Andre managed the Division of Studies and Administrative Reform from 1991 until he retired in It is under his tenure that the first administrative advisers were appointed by Presidential decree  No.

92/257 of 27 December 1992;

• NGONO Léonard was interim in 1992 ;
• Mrs. EVEHE Jeannine Angèle Sidonie was interim head  of    Division of  Studies  and  Administrative Reform from 1992 to 1994;
• Mr NDANGA NDINGA Badel was the very first PSAR from 1994 to 1997;
• Mrs. EVEHE Jeannine Angèle  Sidonie  was designated interim PSAR from 1997 to 2000;
• Mr. NGOUO Léon Bertrand was PSAR from 2000 to December 08, 2005 ;
• Mr OUM Edouard was interim PSAR from December 08, 2005 to January 2007, and on January 07, 2007 he was appointed PSAR ;  a post  he  occupied till October   27,   during  is tencel,  thirteen (13) Civil Servants  were  appointed by order  N°000680/ MINFOPRA of 03rd February 2006. They were trained at the Advanced Institute of Public Management on Organisation Methods  and    Mangement in 2006. In 2007 from the  study  of application files, 20 civil servants  were selected and trained  in organisation and  methods of Administrative  Management and were appointed Assistant Advisers in Administrative Management by  order  No. 008471/MINFOPRA of 28^th july 2008;
• Mrs. EVEHE   Jeannine  Angèle  was  PSAR from October  27, 2009 to January  08, 2013; during  her reign eight  (8) Assistant Advisers in Administrative Management were trained and appointed by Arrêté No.009588 /MINFOPRA of 20th July
• Mr AKO TAKEM  Chancel  is PSAR since  January 08, 2013  till date.  It is during  his tenure that  we witness  the appointment of twenty(20)  Advisers in Administrative  Management by  prime  ministerial decree   No.2016/4499   of  23rd   September  2016 and  ten(10)    Assistant  Advisers in Administrative Management by  order  No.005550  /MINFOPRA  of 23^rd September 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

Decree No. 2012/537 of 19 November 2012 on the organization of MINFOPRA in its Article 5 states that the PSAR is responsible for, inter alia:

 

• drawing up and monitoring the implementation of the master plan for administrative reform;
• the elaboration and implementation of the modernization measures of the Cameroonian Public Administration;
• monitoring of cooperation in administrative organization and reform;
• evaluation of government measures in terms of administrative organization and reform, taken in the various sectors of public administration;
• the elaboration and introduction of methods and process of data processing acceleration; streamlining the organization  of  structures,  procedures and management methods;
• studies to reduce the cost of equipment acquisition and maintenance;
• the involvement of State personnel in the permanent search for ways and  means  of a more effective administra

 

In a bid to meet its objectives, the following activities are carried out:

 

• the development of good governance tools (organizational texts, organizational frameworks, user guides, administrative procedures manuals, mailing cards,  operating procedures, organization and staffing plans);
• the simplification  / rationalization of procedures and administrative formalities;
• the promotion of e-government;
• the development of performance standards;
• the organizational audit;
• the support of the administrations;
• training of business executives in the sites etc.