(Business in Cameroon) - The French group Suez just revealed that it will build a water production plant, on Sanaga River in central Cameroon, on behalf of the Chinese consortium of Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH).

The French group explains that it will specifically handle “the processing plant’s engineering studies, the supply of equipment, installation’s supervision, the plant’s commissioning”, and the Cameroonian staff’s training.  

“We are proud of this partnership with Cameroon’s authorities, Sinomach-Cmec and Eximbank of China, to provide the most suitable technical and financial solutions in response to Yaoundé’s populations’ needs for drinking water. This project is a significant reference for the group in Africa…”  Marie-Ange Debon, the group’s general assistant manager in charge of the international division, said.

Under the outsourcing contract Suez signed with the Chinese consortium SINOMACH-CMEC, the French group will collect €43 million (a little more than CFA28 billion) for its services and construction works will last 36 months.

The drinking water production plant which is funded by Eximbank of China, will be able to process 300,000 m³ per day.

This capacity is thrice that of the Akomnyada plant (also built by Suez) which is, for the time being, the biggest infrastructure supplying Yaoundé with clean water.

Since 2012, when Cameroon launched a vast program of infrastructures, China has become the leading foreign investor in this Central African country, outshining French companies.

However, on October 2016, at the end of a meeting with Cameroon’s minister for energy and water, Gilles Thibault, French ambassador to Cameroon, indicated that  “France intends to be more present than it has been in the past in the construction of energy and hydraulic infrastructures”, in Cameroon

Brice R. Mbodiam