The Minister of Water and Energy has announced a groundbreaking initiative that could transform Cameroon’s energy sector: a public-private partnership (PPP) to overhaul the country’s energy transport infrastructure. This move comes as the government faces mounting financial challenges that have long hindered critical infrastructure investments.

PPP model to address energy sector challenges

With Cameroon’s cash flow deficit severely limiting investment capacity, the Ministry of Finance is struggling to meet its obligations, including payments to the national electricity supplier. This financial strain has resulted in a daily loss of 30 MW of electricity due to the country’s deteriorating transmission network—a figure equivalent to the entire output of the Lagdo Dam. The proposed PPP model aims to attract private capital to address these infrastructure gaps and restore reliable energy transmission.

The initiative was discussed during a high-level meeting between the Minister and Italy’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Filippo Scammacca del Murgo, along with Riccardo Rossi Van Lamsweerde, Regional Director of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Italy’s public financial institution. The partnership would shift the burden of project execution from government hands to private operators, potentially improving efficiency and reducing the risk of mismanagement.

The Minister’s announcement follows years of documented energy losses, first identified in 2014, yet left unaddressed in national planning. Rather than stemming the losses, the government allocated over 100 billion FCFA to the construction of the Mekin Dam—a project that has yet to deliver the anticipated benefits.

«Transport infrastructure should be among the first beneficiaries of this funding model. Instead, we continue to witness projects of questionable viability, such as the Douala-Yaoundé or Yaoundé-Nsimalen highways, which drag on for years due to bureaucratic inefficiencies», noted a leading economic analyst.

The PPP framework would shift the entire project lifecycle—from design and implementation to long-term management—into private hands, removing operational control from government agencies known for delays and mismanagement. This approach could prove particularly effective in a country where high-profile infrastructure projects often become «white elephants»—monumental failures that drain public resources without delivering results.