Media: The constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press. In spite of this, the US Department of State 2010 reports that the government restricts the freedom of assembly and liberty of expression of both citizens and the press. The government controls all broadcast media and has consistently hampered the development of private radio stations, which have only been permitted since 2003, 13 years after the basic legislation allowing for them was passed. Private television stations face costly and time-consuming licensing requirements with the first licences having only recently been granted in 2007. There is a large amount of independent print media, but their impact remains limited because of their high price and of difficulties in distribution outside larger cities. Moreover, there are reports of public funding being selectively awarded to the media outlets aligned with the government. The independent newspapers report on controversial matters such as corruption and economic policies, but the government has sometimes responded by using criminal libel laws to inhibit them and according to Freedom House 2010, journalists covering high-profile corruption cases have been intimidated, harassed and had criminal penalties imposed on them, leading broadcast journalists in particular to practice self-censorship. According to Global Integrity 2010, Ngota Bibi, a journalist investigating in corruption died in prison. His case evolved around a corruption scandal that involved a higher official of the presidency of the republic. Freedom of information and opinion are restricted concerning the President's family, corruption within the inner political leadership circle, or the military. It should be noted, however, that the media is not free from corruption itself. According to Freedom House 2008, many journalists expect and accept payment from politicians for conducting biased interviews and writing biased articles containing unsubstantiated allegations against their opponents. Journalists would for instance publish articles about fake prosecutions of activists and include names of immigrant asylum-seekers abroad in return for bribes from the immigrants' families. The journalists attributed these prosecutions to the 'Ministry of Internal affairs', an institution, according to Global Integrity 2010, that doesn´t even exist in Cameroon. In an attempt to clear journalists from corrupt practices and achieve a better governance in the communication sector, the Cameroon Union of Journalists submitted in 2010 a comprehensive memorandum to the government which included the enforcement of the law of ethics, training for journalists. However, the president of the CUJ, Chia explains that the memorandum was ignored as it went against the government's efforts of 'pocketing the press'. No cases of restriction of access to the Internet were reported; however, access to the Internet is limited by the high cost and the slow connections. According to Freedom House's Freedom of the Press Index 2011, the press in Cameroon ranks 149th out of 196 countries and is considered 'not free'. Additionally, Cameroon ranks 109th out of 173 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2009.

Civil Society: Civil society organisations consist primarily of church-based NGOs that are involved in the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) process. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2008, NGOs can be formed relatively freely under a legal framework laid out in 1999, and many have been created by members of the state elite as a means of profiting from external assistance programmes. According to Transparency International, civil society organisations are active in the fight against corruption. Global Integrity 2008 also reports that no society activists have been harassed because of their anti-corruption work. However, it also reports that the government controls the most representatives of anti-corruption NGOs, including the local chapter of Transparency International. Moreover, according to Bertelsmann Foundation 2008, the political leadership is largely indifferent to the role of civic engagement and frequently ignores civil society while consultation of civil society groups within the PRS process is not systematic and remains selective. Global Integrity 2008 confirms that, while NGOs have considerable influence over public opinion, they almost never influence political decisions and policy making.

Transparency International Cameroon (TI Cameroon): As a local chapter of Transparency International, TI Cameroon works in coalitions with other civil society actors, companies and the government. TI Cameroon primarily focuses on awareness-raising, advocacy and the holding of seminars. TI Cameroon has drafted a bill on access to public information, but it has not been adopted.

Council of Business Managers and Professional Associations (GICAM, in French): GICAM is Cameroon's foremost business association and has recently freed itself from government domination and today works to fight against corruption and fraud. The association brings together 140 companies and 15 professional organisations representing 70% of all formal business activity in the country. GICAM lobbies government for the facilitation of business creation and operations, and works to promote a competitive market and good governance and to resolve judicial and financial problems facing companies in Cameroon (property rights and contract enforcement etc.). GICAM operates an arbitration centre to handle commercial disputes.

African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption Cameroon(APNAC): APNAC is active in capacity-building, information campaigns, promotion of anti-corruption legislation, and establishing a legal framework to promote free elections.

NoBakchich (No more bribes): By the end of August 2011, a new mobile phone application will be available for the citizens of Cameroon. The 24-year old Herve Ndjia created the NoBakchich application which can be installed on smartphones and submits the procedures and costs of services provided by the government and some private services. Users need only to press some buttons on their mobile to find out how to obtain services from government departments; these include, for instance, the costs and steps to set up a business in cameroon, get a birth or death certificate, a driver's license...The application can also be accessed via internet. Experts explain, in a July 2011 article by Trust Law, that the main reasons behind the pervasive corruption in Cameroon are excessive bureaucracy and the ignorance of procedures of the different services that provide opportunities for officials to demand bribes. The developer of the product, Herve Ndjia, further explains that the NoBakchich application permits the users to share their experience of being asked for bribes with each other, thus, creating a social media network of whistleblowers and making the burden of combating corruption in Cameroon lighter as victims can interact with each other. Critics point out, however, that the small number of smartphone owners in Cameroon is one of the obstacles to the success of the application. The high rate of poverty in Cameroon limits the number of mobile users to 41% and the number of internet users to about one million.