Solomon Tembang Mforgham

A FCFA 150 billion hydro-electricity dam project is soon to take off in the Eastern region of Cameroon.

According to Cameroon’s Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis Paul Motaze, the development of the Lom Pangar Hydro-electricity Dam in the East region constitutes a big economic asset not only to Cameroon but the entire Central African region. He said the project, once realised, would be a strong economic locomotive to boost other sectors and attract investors to Cameroon.

The minister was in Yaounde at the closing of a two-day working session with some foreign investors who have enthusiastically embraced the project and overtly declared their various amounts to inject for its realisation.

Over ten donor institutions like the World Bank, African Development Bank, French Development Agency, Islamic Development Bank, Arab Economic and Development Bank in Africa, Kuwait Development Fund, European Investment Bank, Central African States Development Bank,Exim Bank of China and the Value Analyses Group of South Africa answered present.

They all gave their accord to sponsor the project which they unanimously described as viable and capable of paying the veritable economic catalyst in the Central African region.

“After the first donor roundtable in Paris in March 2008, we were satisfied that so many development partners understood the importance of the electricity project in Cameroon and immediately declared their intention to be part of the investment journey we are about to embark on. We are all happy today that that dream has finally come true and in no long distance the energy trauma many Cameroonians are going through will be a thing of the past. It is true that many of these investors had preoccupations and fears in the beginning but with our new economic plan of action, they are now assured and have already each given their final accord”,
Minister Louis Paul Motaze said.

The entire project which is expected to start by July 2010 will by sponsored by the aforementioned donor agencies and the Cameroon government.

The Lom Pangar Dam
It has been described as the potential energy supplier along the Sanaga Basin. The River Sanaga is the most important in Cameroon with a basin of over 14,000km² in surface area and an bi-annual module of 2100m³/s.

In order to fill the persistent gap in energy supply due to drop in the volume of water flow in this river at some periods of the year, it is necessary, the minister explained, to reinforce and increase the energy production with the building of a powerful dam that will not only supply the needed water for electricity but for the entire River Sanaga.

The project will constitute the construction of a functioning reservoir of six billion cubic metres and 540km² and the construction of a hydroelectricity station of about 30 megawatt principally to supply energy in the East region.

The installation of a transport line of 90kv, that is, 120km long between the site of the dam and Bertoua, the construction of a road network between Deng Deng and the dam site in Bertoua.

The objective of the project, according to government, is to obtain regular speed of water flow of about three cubic metres per second as with the case in Songloulou so as to augment electricity production.

Cameroon’s Electricity Development Corporation is charged with the realisation of the project.