Abstract

National and Multinational corporations in Cameroon are required to formalize their operations and address the increasing informational demands of stakeholders through CSR reporting in a timely and coherent manner. Research indicates that National and Multinational corporations in Cameroon conduct CSR reporting within a portion of their annual financial reports, with CSR presented in a superficial manner.

There is a demand for improved reporting quality and standardized content disclosure in CSR reports as well as promptness and uniformity in reporting. This necessity inspired the researcher to investigate CSR reporting in Cameroon with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, performing qualitative content analysis utilizing secondary data from online reports released in 2018 by both national and multinational corporations in Cameroon, applying the convenience sampling technique. A thorough analysis was conducted on these documents using a datasheet as a tool.

The results indicate that companies utilize GRI standards in the creation of their reports, yet most companies do not apply all qualities in formulating CSR reports, standardized disclosures, and content reporting principles.

This raises the issue of completeness in reporting. Additionally, the reporting situation in Cameroon is characterized by integrated CSR reporting. However, the researcher is astonished by the finding that one National Company (ENEO) ranks second in terms of CSR reporting among all 15 companies analyzed, of which 13 are multinationals.

Moreover, findings reveal that the majority of organizations in Cameroon engaging in CSR reporting are multinationals due to corporate cultures established by their headquarters. The researcher also discovers that many multinational reports are not specific to Cameroon but are generalized within a global financial report.

A standalone report is recognized and implemented by MTN Cameroon (Sustainability report) but does not significantly differ in the level of disclosure compared to other report formats used. The researcher finds that CSR reporting drivers are not dependent on company size or resources, but rather on ownership and business sector.

Consequently, the results suggest that organizations should maintain consistency and punctuality in their reporting and increase website reporting practices for better consistency and timeliness. Although GRI is not compulsory and CSR is performed voluntarily, report content should be closely monitored to effectively cater to stakeholder needs and expectations and to strengthen company legitimacy and reputation.

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