The Governance of Administrative Documents in Cameroon's Public Service: Balancing Transparency, Workflow Efficiency, and Information Security

The governance of administrative documents is a central element of modern public administration, influencing transparency, administrative efficiency, and public trust in government institutions. In Cameroon, the increasing digitization of administrative processes has significantly transformed the management, circulation, and preservation of official documents within the public service. This article analyzes the governance of administrative documents in Cameroon through the analytical framework of three interdependent objectives: transparency in citizens' access to administrative information, efficiency in document processing workflows, and protection of document integrity and information security. The study situates document governance within Cameroon's evolving legal and institutional framework, including Prime Ministerial circulars regulating administrative correspondence, the regulatory regime created by Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality, and criminal law provisions contained in Law No. 2016/007 of 12 July 2016 instituting the Penal Code. The analysis further examines the institutional role of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) in strengthening cybersecurity, digital certification, and electronic document authentication within public administration, including its recent Doc@uthANTIC digital signature initiative designed to combat document forgery and certify the authenticity of official documents. Using qualitative policy analysis and institutional case studies, the article examines key administrative information systems including the evolution from "ANTILOPE" to the Integrated Computerised State Personnel and Payroll Management System (SIGIPES) and the newly introduced "AIGLES" programme, the COLEPS electronic public procurement platform, and the digitization of civil registration and identity documentation processes. Drawing on the doctoral research of Mela (2022), which provides an in-depth sociological analysis of SIGIPES from its conception to appropriation by end-users, the article reveals how these digital tools have been negotiated, adapted, and sometimes circumvented by different categories of actors within the state apparatus. While digital initiatives have improved transparency and administrative efficiency, persistent challenges remain, including infrastructure constraints, coexistence of physical and digital records, limited digital competencies within segments of the public administration, weak enforcement of existing legal frameworks, and the absence of a comprehensive freedom of information law. The study argues that effective governance of administrative documents requires an integrated framework combining legal safeguards, digital technologies, administrative capacity building, and institutional culture reforms. Drawing on recent scholarship on egovernance and local development in Cameroon and emerging research on intelligent architectural frameworks for municipal services , the article proposes strategic recommendations for strengthening Cameroon's administrative document governance. By strengthening these dimensions simultaneously, Cameroon can enhance administrative accountability, improve service delivery efficiency, and protect the integrity of public information systems.