(Business in Cameroon) - Aes Sonel, the electricity provider in Cameroon since 2001, which was recently acquired by the British investment fund, Actis, is planning to invest a whopping 170 billion FCFA in Cameroon’s electricity sector for the 2014-2018 period (which is 35 billion FCFA per year). This was revealed when the company’s new Managing Director, Joël Nana Kontchou, assumed his new post on August 19, 2014, officially replacing Jean David Bilé.

According to internal sources, investments will involve all aspects of the company’s activities, from production to distribution by way of energy transport, transportation network management and commercial activities. Distribution improvement is getting the largest portion of these investments – 75 billion FCFA.

Meanwhile, 47 billion FCFA will be devoted to product improvement, particularly repairing the Songloulou Dam, a dilapidated structure built in 1976 and later expanded in 1984 with a current total production of 385 MW, primarily supplying electricity to the South of Cameroon.

In this five-year investment plan announced at Aes Sonel, 30 billion FCFA will be used to improve the company’s commercial activity while 18 billion will be invested in the management of energy transportation and the company’s network.