The Bologna Process (BP), which created the European Higher Education
Area, has had a profound impact on educational systems in Europe and
beyond, as far as Cameroon. Through thematic analysis of interviews and
text documents, this article examines the adoption of BP ideas in
Cameroon with a focus on the transfer and local reception to the
adoption. This article shows that the adoption in Cameroon is found to
continue a process that began with the adoption of the BP at the Central
African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) by the CEMAC heads of
state, leading to its subsequent imposition on universities in Cameroon.
The present findings show that, although imposed on the universities,
the adoption of the BP found some support in Cameroon because of its
potential to resolve the country’s higher education challenges. However,
because of Cameroon’s dual French and Anglo-Saxon education system,
some interviewees expressed scepticism about the adopted approaches,
primarily because they appeared French driven. The article highlights
some of the complexities and tensions associated with introducing a
borrowed model to a dual system of education such as that in Cameroon.