Fight against corruption: British High Commission, CONAC drill administrators.

This was during a Commonwealth Values Capacity Strengthening Workshop organised in Yaounde Thursday. The event, held at the residence of the British High Commissioner, was attended by Integrity and Ethics Units from key public institutions.

The British High Commissioner to Cameroon H.E Matt Woods, praised CONAC for successfully organising the 16th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa in May. 

He said as partners in the Commonwealth, both Cameroon and the United Kingdom share certain values such as good governance, respect for the rule of law and democracy, as well as challenges when it comes to the fight against corruption and the pursuit of integrity in public life.

“It is impossible to eliminate completely. What matters is that in the fight against it, the investigations, the work, the sharing and all the effort that people like you and your colleagues are putting in will ultimately help to deliver public services, maintain public trust and ensure that the social contract between government and people holds,” Matt Woods stated.

He further commended the focal points for the work and effort they put in their respective ministries and encouraged them to have constructive debates. This, the High Commissioner said, is vital for national progress.

“This workshop is really about how we can work together, share best practices and case studies so that together we can overcome this problem and strengthen integrity in public institutions and ultimately public trust,” he concluded.

Enter CONAC Chairman

Addressing the gathering, the Chairman of CONAC, Rev Dr Dieudonné Massi Gams, thanked the High Commission for empowering stakeholders with skills that can enable them better combat corruption by promoting integrity in their various institutions.

“Integrity, as you know, remains the greatest weapon against corruption. A person of integrity does what is right even if no one is watching him or would ever find out,” the Chairman stated.

He added that the workshop directly ties with the vision of CONAC, which calls for an all-inclusive fight, with all stakeholders brought on board.

“Far from being a reserve for governance institutions such as CONAC, fighting corruption is the responsibility of each and every one of us, as we all suffer the consequences,” Massi Gams said. 

He said the workshop is in line with Pillars 2 and 4 of Cameroon's National Development Strategy, NDS30, which respectively focus on improving the quality of life of Cameroonians by investing in people as well as building strong, transparent, accountable and efficient public institutions that support sustainable development and national unity.  

The overall goal, Massi Gams said, is to pull the nation towards its 2035 emergence goal of providing a better life for all Cameroonians as envisaged by the Head of State.

He urged stakeholders to acquire skills that would boost their performance aspects such as public service efficiency, risk analysis, identification of institutional integrity breakdown and how to remedy the situation.

“As focal points of the fight against corruption in your various Administrations, you are expected to play a frontline role in the fight against corruption through activities that seek to prevent and sanction corruption, educate the public, create better working condition, reward honest hardworking persons and, above all, promote integrity,” Massi Gams said.

UK-Cameroon long-standing anti-corruption partnership

It emerged from the workshop that the British High Commission in Cameroon has consistently shown a long-standing commitment to promoting good governance and combating corruption in the country. From spearheading the elaboration of Cameroon's National Anti-Corruption Strategy in 2010 alongside former High Commissioner H.E. Bharat Joshi, to leading the Business Coalition Against Corruption between 2011 and 2020, the diplomatic mission has continuously driven key anti-corruption initiatives. 

Most recently, the High Commission further reinforced its frontline support for regional integrity efforts by hosting delegates during the 16th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa in Yaounde.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3864 of Friday July 31, 2026