My position is this. Forget about Africa for a minute. Take any visa post in the world. I do not think that locally engaged officers should even be touching refugee applications. The information is so private and so sensitive that I think only Canadians should be handling those files at all. I don't even want a locally engaged clerk photocopying my application forms if that's my situation.
Now I do agree that locally engaged staff can be very helpful for other types of applications--for example, skilled workers, visitor visas, marriage applications, those types of things. I just think that refugee matters are simply way too sensitive.