(Business in Cameroon) - Following a meeting with the ADB and Cameroonian business leaders in Douala, the Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, announced that Cameroon is aiming to attain a production capacity of 3,000 MW of electricity by 2020 thanks to “a 10-year planning programme that will run from 2010-2020. We can’t talk about industrialisation without available, accessible energy,” he stated.

Indeed, with the second highest hydroelectric potential in Africa after the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 12,000 MW, Cameroon currently has a production capacity of only 1,100 MW with demand climbing at a rate of 6-8% per annum. The result? Homes and businesses generally experience power outages which make Cameroon lose .5 growth points each year.

To reverse this trend, the government has launched a vast infrastructural programme in this area. This includes the Lom Pangar Dam, the largest ever to be built in the country. It is slated to be launched in 2015 while those of Mekin and Memvé’éle are also being built.

The processes for starting the construction of the Menchum and Bini Dams are well underway, as are discussions between partners for the construction of the Natchigal hydroelectric plant. Many solar park construction projects in various regions are also ongoing.