(Business in Cameroon) - Jean-Paul Simo Njonou, Chief Executive Officer of the National Refining Company (Sonara) recently launched a call for expressions of interest for the global audit of phase 1 of the project to extend and modernize Cameroon's only refinery. The phase 1 that will be audited started in 2010 and was completed in 2018.

"The purpose of the audit mission is to enlighten Sonara by providing a detailed and documented explanation of the discrepancies between forecasts and achievements, both in terms of technical achievements, as well as in terms of the extension of deadlines and cost increases," the CEO said.

The call for tenders was launched to select the institutions or firms that are specialized or have experience in this field. At the end of the procedure, the selected bidders will have to take a restricted international invitation to tender. Firms or organizations wishing to provide this service are invited to send their expression of interest file to Sonara by June 19, 2020, at 10:00 am. After analysis of the files, the results will be published in the media in June 2020 so that all bidders will be informed.

Phase 1 of the project to extend and modernize Cameroon's only refinery lasted about eight years. It was scheduled to be completed between December 2012 and January 2013. This means that it has been extended by almost six years, for an investment of over XAF380 billion.

The primary objective of this modernization project was to build a crude oil refinery that would meet the needs of the Cameroonian market in finished products such as butane, super, diesel, distillate, fuel oil, lamp oil and jet fuel. The processing capacity of this refinery before a fire ravaged it on May 31, 2019, was 2,100,000 tons per year. The modernization is expected to increase the plant's capacity to 3.5 million tons per year.

Sonara was created by the presidential decree n°73/135 of March 24, 1973. It was established on December 7, 1976, and endowed by the Cameroonian government with an establishment agreement on January 11, 1978. Subsequently, it was inaugurated on March 16, 1981.  

Sylvain Andzongo