An accord to this effect was reached, Wednesday March 7, between Nachtigal Hydro Power Company and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Some 900 locals to be affected by the Nachtigal hydroelectricity project will receive support from the Nachtigal Hydro Power Company (NHPC) in the domain of agriculture. The support package, worth over FCFA 100 million, will come thanks to an accord signed between the company and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The partnership agreement was signed in Yaounde, Wednesday March 7. While Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi signed on behalf of government, Olivier Flambard, Director General of NHPC, penned for the project company.
Going by the accord, NHPC’s corporate social responsibility will entail assisting affected locals in the project area acquire and develop new lands. A projected 260 hectare agricultural surface will be considered. Besides equipping the over 900 beneficiaries with new farming techniques, NHPC will also give them high-yielding seeds and improved varieties as well as other farm inputs.
Officials of NHPC say they will work towards identifying and maintaining farm-to-market roads so that the local population will have ease getting their products to consumers. The move is coming after NHPC, alongside the commission in charge of paying compensation, made the payment of the first compensations in Ntui and Ndokoa in December 2017.
Olivier Flambard said it was their company’s wish to support the revival and development of agricultural activities of the people affected by the project. He noted that the support falls within the management of the environmental and social aspects of the Nachtigal hydroelectricity project.
It should be noted that works for the construction of the dam on the River Sanaga at the Nachtigal waterfall are expected to begin this year and end in 2022. The project comprises the construction of roller compacted concrete dams, a headrace channel, a power plant with seven generating units, a generation substation and a transmission line. Upon completion, it will generate 420MW of electricity and address the country’s energy need by 30 per cent.