(Business in Cameroon) - The Minister of Water and Energy (Minee), Gaston Eloundou Essomba, recently published a call for expression of interest for consultants who will assist Cameroon in the development of a financial model for projects aimed at improving electricity access.  

"An estimate of the investments required to reach 100% electrification rate in the country showed that XAF874 billion needs to be mobilized for rural electrification between 2022 and 2030. A financing strategy is thus necessary [to mobilize those funds],” the call states. 

Interested parties are expected to send their offers by April 18, 2022. The selected consultants will carry out preliminary and detailed design studies, develop a financial model and prepare the tender process for the construction of electricity transmission and distribution networks in about 7,000 localities nationwide.  

According to the Minee, between 2010 and 2022, the government along with technical and financial partners as well as the private sector launched the construction of new electricity generation infrastructures. Those infrastructures include the Kribi gas power plant (216 MW),  the Lom Pangar dam (it has the capacity to store six billion metric cubes of water) and its foot plant (30 MW), the Memve'ele dam (211 MW), and the Nachtigal dam (420 MW). Some of them have already been commissioned but others are still under construction. 

Despite all those infrastructures, the electricity access rate is still 65% in the country, leaving a 35% gap to be filled.

S.A.