ICT: ITU gives 3/20 to Cameroon

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), on regulatory developments and regulation in the field of ICT in the world, rated Cameroon 3/20 in ICT.

According to the study entitled "Trends in Telecommunication Reform," the Cameroon achieved a score of 15/100, one of the worst ratings issued by the institution on the countries which were studied.

The four sectors which were used for the report were: the authority of the regulator; the mandate of the regulator; the regulatory regime; and competitiveness of the system. Cameroon did not exceed the score of 7. In terms of setting up an ICT market and competitive telecoms (4th issue), for example, Cameroon was scored 1/28. This confirmed the low quality of service and the cost of telecommunications in force in Cameroon.

According to the ITU, the Cameroonian market is blocked by several factors related to the status of the controller. The lack of authority at telecom operators, the difficult implementation of decisions taken by the regulator, its inability to stimulate a price policy favoring competitiveness and scope of the populations, to name only a few factors.

Cameroon, with worse implementation of reforms in the ICT sector, did not get a good feedback from the ITU. Since the beginning of the year, several reports released by specialized international institutions pointed the accusing finger on delays by the country in this area. This is particularly true, according to the World Economic Forum and its report Networked Readiness Index (index preparation to networks).

This study, which evaluates the policies and institutions that allow a country to take full advantage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to increase competitiveness and well-being, placed Cameroon at 126th position out of 144 countries.

Similarly, the World Bank, in its 'WDI 2015 maps', an interactive map that shows the level of development of each country in ICT, stated that in 2015, only 20% of Cameroonians have access to Internet tool.

"ICT can make the world better in many ways," said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General.

"In a digital world, it is essential to create the conditions that will enable an economy based on data thrive and it is imperative for this to establish a favorable regulatory environment," Zhao concluded.