On January 29, Yvon Sana Bangui, the Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), officially launched an audit of the recruitment process for the 22nd class of senior staff members at the BEAC. This announcement was made in a statement signed by the head of the central bank for the six Cemac states.

The audit will be conducted by the consulting firm RSM France, chosen after an international selection process that began in July 2024. “The audit must be carried out with full transparency and independence to produce a report that will allow the UMAC (Central African Monetary Union) Ministerial Committee to decide the next steps in this recruitment process,” said Governor Sana Bangui.

According to the BEAC governor, the audit, with its final report expected by March 15, aims to clarify the recruitment process and ensure fairness and integrity. It will also examine any potential weaknesses or irregularities that could have impacted the process and provide recommendations for improving future recruitment procedures.

“This audit is crucial to restore public trust in the BEAC’s recruitment processes and ensure that future senior staff will be hired based on their skills and merit,” emphasized Sana Bangui.

To recall, during its session on June 7, 2023, in Yaoundé, the UMAC Ministerial Committee had ordered the suspension of the recruitment process and the launch of an external audit to review the conditions under which the exam (which began in December 2021) was organized and the credibility of its results.

In August 2022, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the central bank, Hervé Ndoba, had instructed BEAC Governor Abbas Mahamat Tolli to annul the results of the senior staff recruitment. He argued that the process was marred by significant issues, including conflicts of interest, poor management of the exam organization, and the unavailability of English-language materials, creating an imbalance among candidates and damaging the bank’s credibility.

Despite these instructions, the recruitment process continued until the results were announced on April 5, 2023. Sixty-six candidates were declared successful, but their recruitment process was halted two months later, leaving them in uncertainty ever since.

Source: Business in Cameroon