In this interview, the academic observes that if the Council of Elders of Gicam were to censure the merger-creation project, it would not be surprising if Célestin Tawamba resigned before the end of his mandate.
The debate on the merger-creation treaty of the two main employers’ organizations in the country is currently dividing the intellectual class. What is your opinion ?
The debate on the merger-creation treaty of the two employers’ organizations is indeed the occasion of a strong divergence between those who see it as a chance for employers and the Cameroonian economy, and those who index this project. My colleague Loveline Tayou and I, co-signing a joint forum, modestly shared some thoughts on this subject a few days ago. We have chosen to take a synoptic look at this news by affirming in this text, which appeared in the press, that this quarrel actually obscures the fundamental debate, that of the urgent refoundation of Gicam. Indeed, after 66 years of existence, it is obvious that Gicam needs a real makeover.
But with regard to your question in particular, it seems obvious that the merger-creation process initiated by the current president of Gicam violates the texts which govern this employers’ organization. First, because this merger flouts the power of initiative and decision of the board of directors, which has conveniently seen itself transformed into a chamber of acclamation. Information gleaned from good sources consistently reveals that the administrators of Gicam dubbed the principle of the merger and were waiting to deliberate collegially and with good reason on a draft treaty for this merger. Unfortunately, the President here did not consider it useful to open this debate, and presented them instead, for acclamation, with a treaty of which they know nothing of the substance and consistency.
In addition, and what is very surprising, the opinion of the Council of Elders of Gicam which was to be given prior to the signing of the merger agreement was concealed. Which can either be akin to a mistrust vis-à-vis this body, or attest to the uselessness of its institutionalization.
Moreover, by intending to invite the Extraordinary General Assembly of GICAM simply to ratify this merger treaty, President Tawamba would violate the sovereignty of the general assembly which would thus, following the board of directors, be transformed into a resonance. Which would be incongruous, insofar as the general assembly, which decides in the last resort, is empowered to decide on any proposed merger, which it can modify as it sees fit, reject, or possibly adopt, but never a treaty already signed!
Who could defend the fact that, in an organization, in a supposedly democratic context, the President can unilaterally arrogate to himself the power to initiate a process that could lead to its dissolution? As you will have understood, the ECAM – GICAM merger project as it is currently worded, thought out and executed, carries within itself the seeds of its cancellation. And, all this is all the more surprising since GICAM, which champions good governance and the exemplarity it induces, has just published a Code of good corporate governance.
Do you think this merger will be approved despite the outcry observed in the press and social networks?
In fact, I am surprised that this project has not yet been sanctioned so far. If you commit the imprudence of going to marry without informing your parents and those of your wife, and then you ask them to ratify this marriage, it is clear that if they have a little self-esteem they will will sanction. The image is indeed close to the case in point, because the council of wise men, the administrators and the general assembly – who are not against the principle of the merger – all discover this merger treaty after signature. I believe that it would be in good taste for the bosses to take their responsibilities, for the council of sages to take their responsibilities to restore the credibility of GICAM and reassure all the stakeholders about the solidity of the institutions within the organisation. The Council of Elders should immediately and in any event censure this proposed merger.
Do you agree with the analyzes that say that Célestin Tawamba and Protais Ayangma, on the initiative of this merger, are playing big?
Although their individual professional trajectories and their record of service in the employers’ movement are particularly remarkable, the two unfortunately play big in the event that this merger does not go through. Indeed, if the Council of Elders were to censure the merger project, it would not be surprising if the current President resigned before the end of his term. GICAM’s Board of Directors should immediately invite him to do so if he wishes to retain any legitimacy to continue to lead the Group for the rest of his term. It seems to me that this is the practice of associative democracy in all self-respecting organisations.
The next Gicam election is scheduled for the end of this year. How do you approach this deadline?
The opacity that surrounds this project of fusion – creation legitimizes any observer to think that the current president aims to assume a third mandate, and that he hopes that the dissolution of Gicam would put all the texts flat. In addition to the shameless modification of the statutes at the end of his mandate, it is the only maneuver capable of allowing him to apply, insofar as he is currently struck by the limit of mandates which he himself instituted.
Opposite, there are indeed other tenors of employers, within and outside the board of directors, to whom we lend ambitions, who assert themselves against this merger. In the event that this merger were to fail, we could see old or new figures of employers applying. But, if the merger passes, it will be difficult to compete with President Tawamba who would objectively boast of the support of his peers. Let’s just hope that the current governance crisis that GICAM is experiencing will not place it in fact under the permanent supervision of the Government, including during the upcoming elections. Associative democracy must be respected.
What do you think of the six years that Celestin Tawamba has just spent at the head of Gicam?
Celestin Tawamba, and the GICAM en Action list he led for Acts 1 and 2, was on track to come out on top. The White Paper on the Cameroonian economy remains a useful contribution to the economic reflection of our country. The place given to SMEs within the organisation, in particular through the CDPME, already seems to be bearing fruit. Finally, the recent publication of GICAM’s Code of Good Governance had hitherto been a positive marker and a fruitful legacy for future generations. This merger, however, spreads and could give reason to those who have long whispered that the fights led by GICAM, in particular with regard to the public authorities, are for opportunistic and individualistic ends. I refuse to believe it and I still caress the hope of seeing the Board of Directors or the Council of Elders, to invite the President of Gicam to abandon his merger to protect their balance sheet. I remind you that the body that directs GICAM is its board of directors and not its President.
In a free forum that you co-signed, you think that instead of this debate on the merger, we should rather discuss the refoundation of employers. Can you tell us more?
I mentioned it at the beginning of this interview. After 66 years of existence, Gicam must indeed evolve by stopping to appear as the lobby of large companies which essentially have interests that do not meet those of SMEs. In the years of independence, large companies, especially French multinationals, represented the bulk of the Cameroonian economy. This architecture has begun to crumble over the years and circumstances. Today, SMEs represent 98% of the Cameroonian economy. They should no longer be sluggish within Gicam. This evolution is necessary and vital. Which GICAM to represent this economic fabric? How to establish a real partnership relationship with the State? What do companies really expect from GICAM? These are all avenues of reflection that urgently need to be drawn up in order to lay the foundations for the refoundation of GICAM.
Isn’t this urgency of the refoundation that you defend a peripheral concern contrary to concerns such as the sluggish economic situation, tax pressure or even the reform of the Cameroon Business Forum?
The recent IMF mission to Cameroon in May recalled the essential role that the private sector must play in the structural transformation of our country. However, the said private sector must be structured so that it is at the service of the company and of Cameroon, and not at the service of some corporate or clan interests. This is its vocation and only the refoundation of the Patronage will be able to lead to it, whether it is a question of its structural, functional and substantial refoundation. With regard to structural overhaul, it is urgent to initiate the modification of the structure of representation within GICAM, by promoting, on the one hand, a better expression of SMEs which constitute nearly 98% of our economic fabric. Cameroonians, on the other, that of young people and women, the main entrepreneurial and innovative force of our country. The functional overhaul requires changing the internal organization of GICAM, by migrating from segmentation by the size of companies, which is particularly inefficient and inefficient, to sectoral segmentation, bringing more coherence to its vision, favorable to the convergence of interests. actors, and operational efficiency.
This migration would promote better alignment with the SND30 and the priority economic sectors of the State defined by the legislator in the Investment Charter of April 19, 2002 and Article 14 of the Law of April 18, 2013 on investment incentives private in the Republic of Cameroon. But this functional overhaul also requires considering a better spatial and territorial occupation of GICAM, and encouraging the creation of other branches, in the West, North-West, South and North of the country, for example, to bring closer the establishment of various places for the exercise of economic activity.
Finally, the substantial overhaul mainly addresses the question of the internal governance of GICAM, which would benefit from being more democratic, with a strengthening of the internal rules of accountability, the multiplication of tools and control bodies, the rebalancing of power and the level of representation of the members, the digital and technological leap, among others. The debate has been launched and the interest it arouses demonstrates that it will take place everywhere, whether at GICAM, ECAM, MECAM, or even well beyond.
