Ngute admin launches family benefit audit to curb payroll fraud ⁰

Cameroon has set July 15, 2026, as the first deadline in a nationwide audit of family allowances paid to public employees, as the government steps up efforts to tighten control over payroll spending.

Through the operation, the Ministry of Finance aims to clean up the list of beneficiaries after what it describes as an unusually sharp increase in the number of children declared in the state’s payroll system. The ministry is urging eligible public employees to complete their registration well before the deadline to avoid last-minute congestion and processing delays. The first phase of the audit, known as AALFA, marks the beginning of a broader review designed to verify the legitimacy of family benefit claims.

A Budget Review Triggered by a Surge in Beneficiaries

Behind the administrative exercise lies a broader fiscal challenge. According to the Ministry of Finance, the number of children declared by public employees rose from 594,728 in June 2024 to more than 923,000 in March 2026, an increase of about 55% in less than two years.

For the government, such a rapid rise warrants a comprehensive review. The audit is intended to distinguish legitimate claims from irregular or fraudulent declarations that may be inflating public spending.

Documents Required for Registration

Public employees receiving family allowances must submit several documents, including a collective life certificate covering children under 21 years old or children with disabilities, a copy of a promotion notice or payroll statement, legible copies of the birth certificates of all declared children, and a copy of the beneficiary’s national identity card. The Ministry of Finance has also issued guidelines explaining how to complete the data collection form in order to simplify the registration process and reduce filing errors.

Higher Benefits Have Increased Fiscal Pressure

The audit comes only months after family allowances were raised to CFA4,500 per child per month in February 2024. The increase was intended to strengthen the purchasing power of public employees’ families, but it also automatically increased the government’s financial burden, making the accuracy of beneficiary records even more critical.

In that context, the audit is not meant to challenge the benefit itself but to ensure it reaches eligible recipients. Authorities intend to preserve the rights of legitimate beneficiaries while removing fraudulent claims from the payroll and recovering any funds that were improperly paid.

Birth Certificate Verification and Fraud Detection

The review will focus primarily on verifying the authenticity of birth certificates, the validity of supporting documents, and the consistency of information across government databases. Officials also plan to identify duplicate records, false declarations, and children registered without valid documentation.

The operation builds on broader government efforts to improve control over personnel-related spending. Following physical headcounts of public employees and audits of pension beneficiaries and dependents, authorities are now targeting a less visible but potentially costly source of expenditure: family allowances.

A Long-Term Interministerial Initiative

Created by decree in July 2024, the committee overseeing the AALFA audit brings together representatives from the ministries of Finance, Public Service, Defense, Security, Territorial Administration, and civil registration services. The interministerial structure is intended to facilitate data sharing and strengthen verification procedures.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the audit will run for 24 months, beginning with a systematic review of the birth certificates of children declared by active public employees. The goal extends beyond a one-time audit to establishing a lasting mechanism for securing the family allowance database.

July 15 Marks the First Test

In the short term, the Ministry of Finance is emphasizing compliance with the July 15 deadline, describing it as a key milestone for the success of the audit. Completing this first phase on schedule should help reduce processing delays and lay the groundwork for the broader review.

Ultimately, the audit reflects a dual objective: protecting public finances at a time of mounting budgetary pressure while ensuring that government social benefits are paid only to those who are legally entitled to receive them.

Source: Business in Cameroon