ESO can't detect the cert-manager operator is installed. The externalsecretsconfig will be "Degraded" status when enable the certmanager even the cert-manager is installed and clusterissure is created.
    

4.20
test with https://prow.ci.openshift.org/view/gs/test-platform-results/logs/release-openshift-origin-installer-launch-aws-modern/1978731564112023552 
    

always
    

    1.install cert-manager,  create  clusterissure
    2.install eso , create the externalsecretsconfig with cert-manager enable
   #############
spec:
  appConfig:
    logLevel: 1
  controllerConfig:
    certProvider:
      certManager:
        injectAnnotations: 'true'
        issuerRef:
          group: cert-manager.io
          kind: ClusterIssuer
          name: selfsigned-issuer
        mode: Enabled
    periodicReconcileInterval: 300
  plugins: {}
##############
    

1. externalsecretsconfig  is degraded status with error
"reconciliation failed with irrecoverable error, not retrying: operator.openshift.io/v1alpha1, Kind=ExternalSecretsConfig/cluster configuration validation failed: spec.controllerConfig.certProvider.certManager.mode is set, but cert-manager is not installed"
2.related operands won't generate
    

externalsecretsconfig success, related operands created in external-secrets ns.
    

1. $oc get csv
NAME                               DISPLAY                                           VERSION   REPLACES                        PHASE
cert-manager-operator.v1.17.0      cert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift       1.17.0    cert-manager-operator.v1.16.1   Succeeded
2.oc get ClusterIssuer
NAME                READY   AGE
selfsigned-issuer   True    29m