Presentation done on 8-9 November 2018, at the Second International Conference on Media Development and Sustainability in Africa at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland

1. How foreign
telecommunicati
ons advertising
affect media
practices in
Cameroon
Israel Bionyi Nyoh,
Communication Specialist, International Land Coalition Africa/ University of
Leicester
8-9 November 2018, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
2nd Media Development and Sustainability in Africa Conference

2. Contents
 Origin of telecommunications in Cameroon
 Growth of telecommunications in Cameroon
 Multinational telecommunications in Cameroon
 Understanding the media in Cameroon
 The advertising sector
 MNTCs in advertising
 Press MNTCs relationship
 How MNTCs investments help foster quality journalism in
Cameroon
 Key recommendations from the study

3. Origin of telecommunications in
Cameroon
 1990, liberalization of the communication sector
 1998 liberalization of the telecom sector, with decree 98/197
of September 8 1998
 1998, creation of state owned telecommunications company,
CAMTEL, which obtained the South Atlantic 3/West Africa
Submarine Cable
 2000 advent of private multi national players
 2001 creation of national telecommunications regulation
agency (Nana and Tankeu, 2007).

4. 3.14
5
10
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
% of GDP
2006
2016
2020
Linear (2006)
Linear (2016)
Linear (2020)
Growth of telecommunications in
Cameroon

5. Growth of telecommunications in
Cameroon
 “We must catch up as quickly as possible in the
development of the Digital Economy. This is a real
accelerator of growth, in addition to being a real
niche for new jobs for our youth,” Paul Biya
addressing the youth on national youth day in 2015.
 The sector is among the top tax payers of the
regime.
 Since inception, taxes paid to the government have
been in a constant rise. For example, fixed and
mobile telecom operators paid 74.6 billion FCFA to
the government of Cameroon in 2010, 21.1 billion
FCFA more than what they paid five years before
(Pauline Tsafak, 2011).

6. Multinational telecommunications
(MNTCs) in Cameroon
 Multinational Telecommunications Companies (MNTCs)
made their intentions to join Cameroon in 1999, after the
liberalization of the sector
 Orange Cameroon and MTN Cameroon launched in 2000 in
Cameroon
 Orange Cameroon is French, a subsidiary of France
Telecom First launched under the banner of Cameroon
Mobile Society- Mobilis in 1999, before changing to Orange
Cameroon in 2000.
 MTN Cameroon is South African, a filial of MTN Group
 MTN and Orange hold 80% of the mobile telecoms market
share.

7. Multinational telecommunications
(MNTCs) in Cameroon
 Nexttel from Vietnam telecommunications launched
in 2014 with 3G technology
 In 2016, Vodafone launched its activities in the
country but stopped the following year
 2015, MTN and Orange acquire licenses to operate
3G and 4G technologies
 YooMee, Internet provider launched activities in
Cameroon around 2013. In 2017, it acquired license
to offer voice services

8. How did the
advent of
multinational
telecoms affect
media and other
players?

9. Understanding the media in
Cameroon
 1990:
 Liberalization of the communications sector
 Boom of the private newspaper sector caused by
economic boom in the 1970-80s
 1300 papers in circulation
 Economy in trouble entered structural adjustment
programme in 1987, its currency was devalued in
1991 (Charles Fonchingong, 1999)
 1997:
 only about 200 circulation of newspapers (Essono, 2008)
 Many press implement other cuts, including not paying staff and
letting some go.

10. Understanding the media in
Cameroon
 2000:
 Liberalization of the audiovisual sector
 This coincides with the advent of the multinational
telecoms
 New forms of private media; radio and TV
 Multinational telecoms pump loads of cash via advertising
in the media and there is a new found hope
 2010:
 500 newspapers and magazines, 100+ radio stations,
over 12 TV and around 10 multimedia platforms

11. Understanding the media in
Cameroon
 2015/16
 Newspapers tally rises to 600 (Atenga,2015)
 Online press counts over 50 blogs and online
magazines (Havas Media Group)
 Monthly earnings are small as 30 000 FCFA and
yet press organs are unable to pay for staff
 Staff practice an unethical practice of ‘Gombo’
collection in exchange for reporting.

12. The advertising sector
2017: 27 billion FCFA
2016: 22.5 billion FCFA
2008: 13 billion FCFA
1981: ad revenues stood at 1.9 billion FCFA

13. MNTCs in advertising

14. MNTCs in advertising
2008: 3 billion FCFA
2015: 3.8 billion FCFA
2016: 5 billion FCFA
2017: 4.3 billion FCFA

15. MNTCs in advertising

16. MNTCs in advertising
2-3 billion FCFA budget every year for the
biggest and about 500 million FCFA and
below for smaller ones
Spend between a third to half of that amount
in advertising.

17. MNTCs in advertising
46.3%37.8%
8.6%
2.9%
2.1%
2016
ORANGE MTN NEXTTEL CAMTEL VODAFONE
43.9%
39.4%
9.4%
3.8% 2.7%2017
MTN ORANGE NEXTTEL YOOMEE VODAFONE
55.4%
44.1%
0.2%
2015
ORANGE MTN NEXTTEL

18. Outdoor
44%
Press
7%
Radio
6%
TV
43%
2015, 2016 and 2017
MNTCs in advertising
 Who gets the lion share of MNTCs budget?

19. MNTCs in advertising
 Who gets the lion share of MNTCs budget?
26%
24%
9%
17%
0%
2%
1%
3%
3%
1%
1%
1%
0% 1%
1%
3%
4%
1%
1%
1% 0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2015,2016 and 2017
Canal 2 Int'l
CRTV
Equinoxe TV
STV
Vox Africa
LTM TV
Trace Africa
Cameroon Tribune
Jeune Afrique
Le Jour
L'oeil du Sahel
Mutations
Quotidien Economie
Le Messager
Nouvelle Expression
Balafon
Radio Equinoxe
Sweet FM
RTM Radio

20. Press MNTCs relationship
 Bittersweet
 Fan Club
 Paid holidays
 Supporter of the press
 Paid press fee
 Adverts flow
 Menace
 Dominance
 Abuse of power
 Thomas Atenga (2014) found instances of abuse
 Charles Nforgang Sec of Journalism Union confirms

21. How MNTCs investments help
foster quality journalism in
Cameroon
 Journalists believe MNTCs via investments helped to
improve many aspects of journalism:
 quality and depth of media coverage,
 diversification of programs,
 development of local content and
 improved awareness on ethics and morality.
 Stable income means there can be practice of journalism

22. How MNTCs investments help
foster quality journalism in
Cameroon
 Media organs were able to expand the size of their staff,
but also programmes. Canal 2 International, CRTV,
Balafon
 There seems to be a general improvement with the level
of practice of journalism
 But what quality? Charlie Beckett (2018) argues there
are different types of quality in the digital age

23. Key recommendations
 The study finds that MNTCs are key players for the
government as well as the press, thus it should take note
of its influence and create more avenues to support
media development
 The trend is showing that advertisers are interested in
different forms of media and invest heavily online, for
sustainability, media entrepreneurs must build online
presence and use their platform to develop ads for media
organs
 The only way to bring back ethical practice is to develop
financial independence.

24. Thanks
Questions.
Answers.