Regulatory Structures: Efficiency Challenge Worth Surmounting

The National Communication Council (NCC) during its 45th ordinary session examined eight files of complaints against some media organs and practitioners accused of violating professional ethics. The complaints concerned the publication of false, unverified and verifiable information and propagation of hate speech. The Council members finally slammed sanctions against the media organs, their promoters and journalists found guilty of unprofessional and unorthodox practices.
The NCC as a regulatory structure in charge of overseeing the respect of professional ethics in the practice of the diverse media in Cameroon has been on the news. Information about its sessions are usually made public. Sanctions meted out on violators of the professional ethics are usually widely disseminated in diverse media outlets to serve as a deterrent to the unorthodox practices and also as a way of cleansing the media landscape in the country.
Cameroon has a series of regulatory structures created by government to ensure sanity and probity in many sectors and the provision of optimal services to the population. For instance, there exist structures such as the National Telecommunications Regulation Agency (ART), Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (AESEL), Public Contracts Regulatory Agency (ARMP) etc. There also exist structures such as the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and other professional regulatory structures.
Despite the existence of the regulatory structures, there are usually reported and noticeable cases of dysfunctions, disruptions and unsatisfactory services rendered to the public. For instance, the National Communication Council that has for sometime now been reputed for holding sessions and sanctioning unethical practice in the media landscape, has not succeeded to reduce to the barest minimum the unorthodox, unprofessional and unethical practices.  Similarly, despite the existence of the National Telecommunications Regulation Agency, the rights of customers are still reportedly regularly violated by actors in the telephone and telecommunications sectors as at times telephone internet connection is epileptic. There are cases of people who have missed important appointments and writing some examinations online because of the poor or completely interrupted internet network. The case of electricity power supply at times is alarming considering that blackouts are reported in some parts of the country for years, in some cities and urban centres, many neighbourhoods are deprived of electricity power supply. The existence of AESEL is not helping the intermittent electricity power cuts often reported here and there without any alert and prior information nor explanation from the actors in the sector. The public contracts sector despite the existence of ARMP is reportedly saddled by corruption with contracts awarded to unqualified bidders, some contracts poorly executed and many abandoned. From regular annual reports on the state of the fight against corruption in the country, the cankerwarm continues to eat deep into the fabric of the society despite the existence and frantic efforts by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the structure in charge of fighting corruption.
The unanswered question remains the hardly perceptible impact of the regulatory structures on the field. Efficiency still remains the main challenge to surmount. The regulatory structures have to go back to the drawing board and re-work on their strategies. Communication remains key to success and perceptibility. Following the example of the National Communication Council, other regulatory structures have to use the diverse media outlets to communicate their actions. This has to do with the constant reminder of the public on their missions, the scope of the missions and how effectively they are carried out. Whenever there is disruption in the provision of services with regards to regulatory structures in the electricity, water and telecommunication sectors, the regulatory structures have to ensure that the key actors inform the communication of the pro...