How sustainable is policy incoherence? A rationalist policy analysis of the Cameroonian electricity reform

Instead of being the milestone in Cameroon's economic reform program that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) claimed it would be, the 2001 privatisation of the Cameroonian electricity sector has turned out to be a millstone round the government, and country's neck. This paper documents and analyses the multidimensional incoherence embedded in the Cameroonian electricity sector reforms, initiated under the pressure of structural adjustment credit projects led by the World Bank. More specifically, 12 policy incoherencies are examined in the Cameroonian context. They range from a poor understanding of the electricity sector's problems, to pre-determined solutions and important shortcomings in the assessment of possible impacts. The results of these policy inconsistencies are analysed in terms the sector's sustainability, based upon the five key concepts introduced by Bruntland, suggesting that the reforms have failed to promote social, environmental or economic sustainability. Although this study concerns Cameroon, its relevance goes beyond this specific country, as similar policies are being implemented around the world.