Cameroon’s passport, once a symbol of national identity and pride, has become a glaring emblem of institutional failure. Ranked a dismal 92nd in the 2025 Henley Passport Index (HPI) – unchanged from 2020 and only slightly improved from 2023 – Cameroon’s passport is among the least powerful in the world, trailing behind even some war-torn nations, and granting visa-free access to a paltry 50 countries; most of them obscure, tin pot shithole countries on the world stage. This places it below dozens of African peers with far fewer resources. The miserable ranking is not just a number. In an era when global mobility defines economic opportunity, diplomatic prestige, and national credibility, this is a public indictment of the government’s chronic inability to project global trust, reform immigration systems, and restore dignity to its citizens.

The HPI ranks 199 passports against 227 travel destinations; based on the number of destinations a passport holder can access without a visa. The data used comes from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For the past five years, Cameroon has hovered in the 90th to 93rd position globally, offering little to no improvement in mobility for its citizens. Despite the fanfare over the biometric CEMAC passport, this so-called modernization has done next to nothing to bolster Cameroon’s global standing. Instead, it has become part of a corrupt and opaque system riddled with bribery, delays, and inefficiencies. The production of these biometric passports; outsourced to a foreign outfit with a deeply tainted reputation, has only deepened public mistrust. The pipeline from birth certificate issuance to national ID cards to the final passport has become a minefield of graft, where foreigners with the right bribes can acquire Cameroonian nationality, while actual citizens languish in bureaucratic limbo for months or even years. The result? A passport system so compromised that it is no longer trusted by the international community – and rightly so.

Today, the Cameroon passport stands as a bitter reminder of how far a nation can fall when leaders abdicate their responsibility. This is more than a domestic shame; it is a diplomatic liability that has contributed to Cameroon’s failure to negotiate meaningful visa waiver agreements, and to its citizens being treated as second-class travelers across the globe – detained, denied, and humiliated at foreign ports of entry. The implications are staggering. Students miss academic opportunities. Entrepreneurs are cut off from global markets. Families are separated by borders they cannot cross. And the country’s already battered international image sinks further into the mud. How did a nation of such rich resources, vast potential, and proud people become shackled by a passport that increasingly resembles a scarlet letter on the world stage? The answer lies in years of neglect, corruption, mismanagement, and a complete lack of ambition from those entrusted with Cameroon’s image management abroad.

For too long, Cameroonian authorities have buried their heads in the sand, oblivious to the humiliation their citizens face daily at airports, embassies, and border crossings. Students, professionals, and families are forced to jump through endless hoops and endure degrading scrutiny because the Cameroon passport carries little weight. The root cause? The state’s failure to uphold even basic standards of passport security, transparency in issuance, and international diplomatic engagement.

In a globalized world, a passport is not merely a travel document – it is a declaration of a nation’s credibility. And Cameroon’s declaration is loud and damning: we are not trusted. We are not taken seriously. We do not protect the integrity of our identity.

Compare this to African peers. Seychelles, still leading the continent despite a slight dip to 24th globally, enjoys visa-free access to 156 countries – more than three times what Cameroon offers. Even nations with fewer resources –Botswana, Rwanda, and Benin consistently outperform Cameroon in passport mobility, reflecting their relative success in investing in passport security, tightening internal controls, building strong international partnerships and trust with foreign governments, strengthening domestic institutions, and enhancing global engagement. Cameroon, by contrast, has stagnated; content to let its citizens be treated like pariahs abroad while those in power jet across continents on diplomatic or special passports. This is unacceptable.

The global passport rankings are not about printing fancy passport booklets; or reducing passport application wait times; or electronic visa applications. They reflect how the world sees Cameroon – its internal security, governance, diplomatic capital, economic reputation, and respect for human rights. Cameroon’s low mobility score is not a clerical error. It’s a direct result of persistent security challenges, from insurgency, terrorism to kidnapping and banditry. Also, weak identity management systems, raises doubts abroad about passport authenticity. Besides, corruption in immigration processes, fuel visa fraud and human trafficking. In addition, limited diplomatic outreach undermines the ability to forge bilateral or multilateral visa waiver agreements.

Passport power matters; and this is not just a matter of national prestige. A weak passport constrains everything from business and academic exchange, to emergency travel, to diaspora engagement, and tourism development. When Cameroonian professionals, students, or artists are repeatedly denied access to international opportunities due to onerous visa restrictions, the entire nation loses. It also exacts a financial toll. Visa applications for Cameroonians often come with high fees, lengthy processing times, and humiliating scrutiny. Meanwhile, potential foreign investors and partners take note of these signals: a country whose citizens struggle to move freely often seems closed for business.

Cameroon remains entrenched in dysfunction, with its passport system becoming a microcosm of the broader rot in its public institutions. But why has the government failed to act? Why are fraudulent passport rings still operating with impunity? Why are international partners reluctant to extend visa waivers or bilateral travel agreements to Cameroonians? The answers are as obvious as they are painful – a reputation for corruption, weak governance, and little interest in reciprocal diplomacy. Let’s be clear: this failure is deliberate. It is the product of apathy, corruption, and a systemic disregard for the rights and aspirations of Cameroonians. And it must end.

If the ossified Biya regime is serious about transforming Cameroon’s global standing, passport power must become a national priority. The government should, as a matter of urgency, strengthen diplomatic outreach and engage in serious diplomatic efforts to negotiate visa waivers and reciprocal travel agreements, particularly with strategic trade and education partners. Secondly, audit and overhaul the entire passport issuance pipeline, terminate contracts with corrupt vendors, digitize and secure the process to ensure the integrity of records, and cleanse the system of corruption. Third, invest in national security and governance, which boosts global confidence and opens doors for mobility. Fourth, engage the diaspora, whose positive contributions abroad can help rebrand Cameroon and build goodwill. And finally, restore trust in the Cameroon passport by tackling fraud and prosecute passport racketeering. The government must recognize that global mobility is not a luxury; it is a basic element of national development, human capital strategy, and international influence.

The passport is more than just a travel document. It is a symbol of how the world sees Cameroon; and how Cameroonians see themselves. The biometric CEMAC passport is merely a reminder of how far Cameroon still has to go; hence Cameroonians should not settle for mediocrity masked as progress. Cameroonians deserve a passport that speaks of honor, not suspicion. They deserve access to the world, not its locked gates. A nation is only as respected as the value of its documents. Until Cameroon wakes up to this reality, the Cameroonian passport will remain what it has become – a symbol of corruption, a source of shame, and a lock on the aspirations of millions of Cameroonians. It is time to secure the Cameroonian passport; anything less is betrayal.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai