Yaound©: An Anglophone service user at the Ministry of Public Service in Yaound©, who begged not to be named for fear of reprisals, has revealed alarming deficiencies in communication service at the institution. Despite visiting multiple offices on the third floor, the individual encountered significant difficulty communicating with employees, many of whom were unable to speak English, one of Cameroon’s official languages. This situation was further compounded by the fact that all official notices within the ministry were found to be published exclusively in French.

According to Cameroon News Agency, the individual expressed frustration over the communication barriers, noting, “I’m at the Ministry of Public Service moving through the third floor from the first. Been to at least seven offices. Nobody speaks English and they’re as young employees as 20 to 45. These are supposedly people who have had English as one of their academic subjects. This is embarrassing at its core.”

The individual also reported experiencing an ‘irritated attitude’ from several employees, highlighting a lack of professionalism and customer service skills within the ministry. They had to search offices through three floors but found no Anglophone that could understand them. The individual remarked, “Imagine a ministry with at least three floors that have no Anglophone. It’s worth thinking if the other five floors have at least one. This is an office that supposedly implements regional balance in recruiting employees.”