Cameroon child benefits scandal: A 55% increase in registered beneficiaries raises suspicions of fraud.

Ayman Ragab

The Cameroonian government has launched a large-scale audit after a sharp increase in the number of children benefiting from family allowances, amid suspicions of fraud and illicit exploitation of state coffers.

The Ministry of Finance revealed that the number of children registered to benefit from subsidies increased from 594,728 children in June 2024 to more than 923,000 children by March 2026, an increase of approximately 551,000.

Increase the family allowance from 2800 to 4500 francs

This increase coincided with the government's decision to raise the family allowance from 2,800 to 4,500 CFA francs per month per child, which raised concerns about the existence of false declarations and manipulation of beneficiary data.

This situation prompted Finance Minister Louis Paul Motaze to launch a 24-month audit, aimed at reviewing records, cleaning up payroll files, and uncovering any abuses or corruption related to the large increase in the number of beneficiaries.

The Ministry of Finance explained that these practices have placed a heavy burden on the national economy, after annual allocations for family subsidies rose from 21 billion CFA francs to nearly 38 billion CFA francs.

The case has sparked widespread concern within the country, with civil society organizations calling for those responsible for these abuses to be identified and brought to justice. Javier Esomba, coordinator of the NGO MyLife, stated that the misuse of public funds for personal gain is unacceptable and demanded the harshest penalties for those involved.

Joint committee

As part of the investigations, the government formed a joint committee comprising representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Public Service, Administrative Reform and Defense, along with the General Authority for National Security and the National Civil Registry Office, with the committee to review the files and determine responsibilities.

Anyone found to have obtained money illegally is expected to be required to provide formal explanations and return the amounts they obtained unlawfully.