Transparency International Cameroon (TI-C) has defended its partnership with the state-owned Société nationale des hydrocarbures (SNH) as the company continues to face scrutiny linked to the Glencore corruption scandal. In a statement released on March 9, 2026, the anti-corruption organization said SNH had approached it to conduct a “governance diagnostic,” described as a technical advocacy effort aimed at guiding public institutions toward greater transparency through procedural audits. In late February, SNH had already signaled its intention to strengthen its internal governance mechanisms by receiving a TI-C delegation at its headquarters.

According to TI-C, the initiative is consistent with its long-standing work in Cameroon, where the organization says it builds on 25 years of experience in governance and anti-corruption efforts. At the same time, SNH appears to be seeking to reinforce the credibility of its reform narrative as its name remains tied to the Glencore affair, one of the most significant corruption cases to affect Cameroon’s extractive sector.

In 2022, Glencore admitted before a British court to acts of corruption in several countries, including Cameroon. Revelations later relayed by Akere Muna, former vice chairman of Transparency International and a founding figure of TI-C, implicated officials at SNH and the national refinery Sonara. They were suspected of receiving the equivalent of about CFA7 billion in bribes between 2011 and 2018 to allow the Anglo-Swiss commodity trader to purchase Cameroonian oil at discounted prices. Some media reports also mentioned rebates of around 30% on certain volumes, though that claim has yet to be confirmed by publicly available judicial evidence.

Since the scandal broke, SNH has sought to demonstrate its willingness to cooperate. In a statement issued in September 2024, the company said it had contacted Glencore on May 30, 2022, and again in June 2023 to request the names of Cameroonian officials potentially involved. The state company also said it had reserved the right to bring legal action before Cameroonian courts against “all individuals involved in these economic crimes,” while explaining that Glencore had refused to disclose the requested identities.

Transparency International Cameroon now echoes that position. In its March 9 statement, the organization said that “the willingness for reform expressed by SNH cannot in any way interfere with ongoing judicial proceedings or hinder the search for truth.” TI-C added that it continues to demand that “full light” be shed on all corruption allegations related to the Glencore case. The governance initiative promoted by the NGO is therefore presented as separate from the judicial dispute.

The organization’s statement also responds to public criticism from Akere Muna. He has called for the full contents of the agreement with SNH to be made public and urged TI-C to convene an extraordinary general assembly to clarify the terms of the engagement, ensure its independence, and demand concrete accountability and reform measures. His intervention reflects at least a political—if not doctrinal—divide over how to engage with a public institution still associated with a major international corruption scandal.

In response to the criticism, TI-C has rejected any suggestion of collusion with SNH and says it is not participating in any image-management exercise. SNH, for its part, highlights what it calls a “constructive partnership” with the organization and reiterates its commitment to pursuing actions grounded in integrity, responsibility, and accountability.

Ultimately, beyond the statements issued by both sides, the credibility of this process will depend less on declarations than on two concrete developments: the public disclosure of the partnership’s terms and tangible progress in identifying—and, if necessary, sanctioning—Cameroonian officials who may have been involved in the Glencore affair.

Source: Business in Cameroon