SOPECAM is a government-owned printing and publishing company that runs a printing house, a book publishing unit and a newspaper publisher. The main newspaper published by SOPECAM is Cameroon Tribune.
Media assets
Cameroon Tribune, Cameroon Business Today, Nyanga, Weekend Sports et Loisirs
Ownership and governance
SOPECAM was created through the decree no 77/250 of 1977. It was transformed through the decree no 2016/216 of 2016 into a shareholding fully owned by the state. The company is accountable to the Ministry of Communication, according to information from the publisher.
Source of funding & budget
SOPECAM generates its revenue through sales of printing services and publications. Its newspapers are funded through a combination of advertising revenues and state subsidies. The government allocation represents a significant (over 50%) part of the budget on which SOPECAM’s news media rely on. For 2021, SOPECAM received a state budget allocation of CFA 14.3bn (US$ 26.5m), according to media reports.
Editorial independence
The newspapers run by SOPECAM are entirely controlled by the government, their content being designed solely to support the authorities. The Cameroon Tribune, especially, given its popularity, is used by the authorities as a tool to disseminate state propaganda and to slam critics of the Cameroonian regime.
No domestic statute and no oversight or assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of the newspapers run by SOPECAM have been identified.
February 2022