Law in Cameroon: A French Tradition

Colonialism led to the importation, or better still imposition, of European administrative systems on the indigenous people of Africa. France specialized in this, practicing direct rule and an assimilation policy in their colonies up to the time of independence. In Cameroon, French administrative law (“droit adminstratif”) became part of the national legal system. In this highly original new book, Cameroonian legal scholar Moye Godwin Bongyu explores the intersection of public administration and the state, colonization and administrative systems, public and private laws, rule of law, and comparative administrative law. He then addresses laws relating to administrative organization in Cameroon. Part Three of the book deals with laws governing administrative resources. Part Four describes practical administrative action and the civil procedure. Part Five focuses on the control to administrative action, examining the submission of the administration to specific law, as well as the history, rules, and procedures of administrative justice in Cameroon.