Energy Production in Cameroon: An urgent need to respond to growing demand

That Cameroon is naturally endowed with enormous hydroelectric potentials – the second after the Democratic Republic of Congo on the African continent – yet exploits only 3 percent of it, not enough to meet the energy needs of the nation, is arguably disturbing. And not only Cameroonians are concerned about the consequences.

By Yemti Harry Ndienla

The French ambassador to Cameroon, Georges Serre, said at a ceremony to launch the sixth edition of the Cameroon-Europe friendship days that there was an urgent need to seek long-term solutions to respond to the growing energy demand in the country. After all, he added, Cameroon besides possessing enormous hydroelectric resources had huge petroleum and offshore gas resources.
“Faced with this reality, what response should be taken? What can Europe do to help the situation?” he wondered, before pledging that Europe was ready to do all it could to introduce environment friendly energy sources – solar and wind – and raise energy production and supply in the country.
Without saying precisely how Europe would help Cameroon in its energy production struggle, the diplomat said France was already helping Cameroon to tap its energy resources at the Lom Pangar dam, adding that France has helped Cameroon to supply energy to some 28 villages in the north and others in the South West province. (Cameroon also taps energy from Edea and Songloulou.)
Goerges Serre enumerated a series of projects the European Union was carrying out in partnership with the African Union, which includes Cameroon, to among other things ensure energy security, develop environment friendly energy sources, build institutional and technical capacities in the energy sector, etc.
Meantime, the minister of External Relations, Henry Eyebe Ayissi, said at the Yaounde event that held on the theme, “Cameroon’s energy policy and cooperation with Europe,” that the energy situation in the country was dire and there was absolute need to improve cooperation with Europe. This, he added, would boost energy production and pave the way for the introduction of new energy sources – wind and solar energy.
Activities to mark the friendship days included colloquiums to discuss Cameroon’s energy problems, Cameroon’s cooperation with Europe in the energy sector, and Cameroon’s future energy situation. Celebrations ended with a meeting of Cameroonians and Europeans at the Yaounde city hall.