(Business in Cameroon) - In order to get out of the energy deficit, which contributes to the country losing a half-point of economic growth each year, Cameroon will invest 37 trillion FCFA in the electricity sector over the next ten years, revealed Joël Nana Kontchou (photo) on 26^th June 2015 in Douala. The Managing Director of Eneo, Cameroon’s public electricity company, was invited to present the challenges accessing electricity in the country at the opening of the GICAM universities.

According to the Eneo Managing Director, out of the total, 25 trillion FCFA will be invested in the construction of production infrastructure, “to have 3,000 MW of power by 2025,” compared to the current 1200 MW. The transportation needs approximately 700 billion FCFA in investment. “These sums will be added to Eneo’s 477 billion,” as forecast in the ten-year investment plan of the British investment fund, Actis, highlighted Joël Nana Kontchou.

He went on to say that, by 2025, Cameroon will be able to “aim for a 75% coverage rate (against barely 50% currently in the urban zones and a lot less in the rural zones) with an over 85% reduction in power outages,” and thus go “from loathed deballasting to the status of electricity exporter to Central Africa. Eneo is resolutely committed to playing its part. Other actors must assume their share of the responsibility.”