A funding agreement was signed between Cameroon and Eximbank-India last week in New Delhi.

The skies are clear for the construction of a 225 kv single circuit transmission line for Nkongsamba-Bafoussam and Yaounde-Abong Mbang connecting the Littoral, West, Centre and North West Regions. The good news came following the signing on January 30, 2017, in New Delhi, India, of a loan agreement of FCFA 54.9 billion between the government of Cameroon and Eximbank-India. The project cost is evaluated at FCFA 64.5 billion with Cameroon expected to foot 20 per cent of the bills, about FCFA 9.6 billion in counterpart funding.

The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis Paul Motaze was Cameroon’s envoy to India. He told funding partners that Cameroon like other sub-Saharan African countries has insufficient energy production with defective transportation lines. The single circuit inter-connectivity project to be executed by the Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited is expected to construct a 225kv single circuit overhead transmission lines between Nkongsamba-Bafoussam and Yaounde-Abong Mbang, a new 225/90kv transformer post in Bafoussam and the extension of the Bokoko and Ahala as well as the 225 kv Abong Mbang posts.

The project will consist of evacuating energy from Lom-Pangar to the South interconnected network. It will also interlock the South Interconnected Network and the East Interconnected Network, permitting the supply of electricity to the West and North West Regions. The company is tasked with working to minimise the risk of power failure in Bafoussam, Bamenda, Foumban, Abong Mbang and Bertoua.

Information from the Ministry of the Economy reveals that officials of Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited are expected in Cameroon next month for the imminent start of work. The project is under the tutelage of the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy. It will be ceded to the National Electricity Transport Company, SONATREL upon completion. It is one of the projects that were negotiated after maturity before the putting in place of SONATREL.

The Eximbank-India funding comes to add to the FCFA 190 billion World Bank envelop approved in December 2016 by the Board of Executive Directors to assist SONATREL to fully operationalize.