Cameroon’s state operator has finalized a three-year partnership with Ethio Telecom to boost digital payments, modernize networks and prepare the launch of Blue Money in 2026. But the move tests whether Camtel can overcome structural weaknesses and turn high-profile plans into measurable results.

By partnering with Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom to accelerate its digital transformation and prepare for the 2026 rollout of its mobile money service, Blue Money, Camtel is doing more than signing a technical pact. The three-year Master Service Agreement (MSA), concluded on December 4 in Yaoundé, reflects a broader trend: the effort by Africa’s state-owned telecom leaders to prove they can still compete with private multinationals and fintech disruptors.

But a fundamental question remains. Will this deal meaningfully improve the digital experience of Cameroonians, or will it become another showcase initiative in a country already crowded with strategic plans that rarely reach completion?

Cameroon is already the powerhouse of mobile money in the CEMAC region. According to a BEAC report, in 2023 the country accounted for more than 62 percent of accounts, 63 percent of transactions and 76 percent of the transaction value in the sub-region. Cameroon is therefore not starting from zero, since it already drives most of CEMAC’s digital financial flows. The challenge is no longer catching up, but preventing this lead from eroding under the weight of high-profile announcements, glossy roadmaps and unfinished projects.

Officially, the MSA focuses on three priorities: expanding digital payments, digitizing public administration and upgrading infrastructure. The agreement, approved following a meeting with the Prime Minister, gives the initiative strong political backing. Its high visibility also carries a familiar risk in Cameroon, that of becoming a symbol of commitment to digital transformation without delivering the concrete results that matter.

Ethio Telecom: Inspiration or Mirage?

With tens of millions of subscribers, fast-growing revenue and more than 50 million users on the Telebirr mobile money platform, Ethio Telecom has emerged as one of Africa’s most successful public digital operators. In recent years, it has expanded its fiber network, rolled out 4G and 5G, and turned Telebirr into a key driver of Ethiopia’s digital economy.

Camtel hopes to reproduce part of this trajectory by repositioning a state-owned operator at the heart of the national digital ecosystem. However, Ethiopia’s success stems from conditions that do not apply easily to Cameroon, including a long-closed market, centralized decision-making and a political strategy that viewed digital technology as an instrument of sovereignty. Cameroon, by contrast, has established competition, fragmented decision centers and limited fiscal capacity.

Assuming Ethiopia offers a ready-made model would be misguided. The risk is focusing on Ethio Telecom’s impressive narrative instead of confronting Camtel’s own structural issues such as governance bottlenecks, lengthy procedures and weak accountability.

Blue Money Faces a Crowded Market

Camtel’s first priority is developing Blue Money. For an operator that has long remained outside the mobile money space, this move is both strategic and an implicit admission that it is late to the market. Mobile money now underpins daily payments, remittances and informal-sector transactions, and staying on the sidelines would eventually mean losing relevance.

According to Business in Cameroon, Camtel’s official entry is expected in 2026 through a dedicated entity capitalized at 500 million CFA francs. Blue Money will enter a market that is already mature and highly competitive. MTN Mobile Money and Orange Money dominate transactions, while the U.S. fintech Wave, known for free deposits and withdrawals and low-cost transfers, has reshaped competition across francophone Africa before expanding into Cameroon.

Blue Money is therefore not entering a blank slate but an entrenched ecosystem. Payment habits, user trust, service point density and platform reliability represent significant barriers for a new state-owned entrant. Camtel must show that it is offering more than just another logo in an already crowded marketplace.

The partnership with Ethio Telecom can provide useful experience, particularly from Telebirr, but it does not address the essential business questions. Which users is Blue Money targeting? What pricing model will it adopt? What sets it apart? What real advantage can it offer to customers who already have two or three mobile money accounts? Without clear answers, the initiative risks becoming more narrative than disruption.

Sovereign Cloud and Network Modernization: The Reality Test

The MSA’s second pillar is the creation of a sovereign cloud for public-sector data and services. On paper, the concept checks all the expected boxes, including sovereignty, resource pooling and service continuity. In practice, modernization programs in Cameroon and elsewhere often stall because of bureaucratic rivalries, fragmented IT systems and unclear governance.

A sovereign cloud raises difficult questions concerning security, data localization, interoperability and decision-making authority. Until the government clarifies who is in charge, who funds the project, who is accountable and how results will be assessed, the risk is that it will become another initiative that is highly visible in official speeches yet barely noticeable in daily life.

The third priority is network modernization, including the extension of 4G and 5G. Camtel highlights its approximately 12,000 kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure, which covers nearly all departments. This is a genuine asset, but it is not enough if service quality, maintenance and customer care remain weak. For users, the length of fiber on a map matters less than a reliable connection and a platform that works consistently.

The most sensitive issue is internal reform. Camtel still carries the reputation of a slow, procedure-heavy public operator with limited customer focus. The MSA promises technical support and capacity building, but it remains silent on the problems that matter most, such as managerial autonomy, accountability and a results-driven culture. Without progress in these areas, Ethio Telecom’s contribution risks taking the form of reports and training workshops rather than visible improvements.

Digital Sovereignty: Ambition and Contradictions

Behind the MSA lies a political message centered on digital sovereignty and South-South cooperation. Yet the stakes are significant. In 2023, CEMAC countries processed more than 500 billion CFA francs in mobile money transfers, most of which passed through operators based in Yaoundé and Douala. The region’s digital financial flows are already largely concentrated in Cameroon.

Choosing an African public operator as a partner, instead of a major multinational vendor or consulting firm, sends a symbolic message that expertise also exists on the continent. However, symbolism alone cannot resolve the persistent gap between the ambition of digital sovereignty and continued reliance on external technologies, standards and suppliers.

A Framework That Must Prove Itself

For now, the MSA is a framework rather than a detailed roadmap. Its ambitions, including better connectivity, expanded digital payments and cloud-enabled public services, will only be credible if supported by measurable objectives with clear responsibilities and deadlines. Without this structure, the partnership may remain easy to reference in speeches but difficult to evaluate in practice.

Ultimately, the Camtel-Ethio Telecom partnership will be judged not in meeting rooms but in the daily experience of Cameroonians. What will matter is network quality for the subscriber, transaction reliability for the merchant and simpler procedures for citizens dealing with public administration. If these improvements do not materialize, the initiative may remain another South-South project that looks impressive in official photos yet leaves little impact on the digital lives of the population.

Baudouin Enama