By Brian Mboh
The Cameroon government, through the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Elondou Essomba, announced several priority reforms, after government regained control of ENEO, the country’s main electricity supplier, on November 19, 2025, in Yaounde, after acquiring the 95% stake held by the British Fund Actis for 78billion FCFA.
The declaration was made by the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Elondou Essomba, on November 21,2025, during a joint press conference, with his Communication counter-part, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, in Yaounde.
According to the Cameroonian Water and Energy Minister, once the 78 billion CFA francs have been paid, the State will appoint a new management team.
The 3,600 Cameroonian employees will continue to carry out their activities normally.
He said the government has already taken steps to protect these employees’ rights and social benefits.
Reforms Expected at ENEO
Furthermore, with the State’s takeover of ENEO, the government intends to implement the actions of the priority electricity sector Recovery Plan contained in its energy compact, that received the support of major development partners, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank, in New York on 28 September 2025.
The Minister explained that, one of the most fundamental and impactful areas of focus is achieving the sector’s financial balance.
“In this context, restructuring ENEO’s bank debt is both urgent and essential.
However, the State could not effectively undertake this vital step for the company while it was still controlled by a private partner,” Minister Gaston Elondou said.
“This refinancing of Eneo’s debt will in any case enable the electricity sector to reduce its monthly financial costs and free up cash for other purposes, such as investing in the network or funding day-to-day operations. This will include making payments to independent energy producers such as NHPC, KPDC and DPDC,” he said.
Gov’t Services to handle electricity bills henceforth
The strategy for mobilising additional revenue for the sector inevitably requires that all electricity consumers pay their bills.
It was also revealed during the Yaounde Press Conference that, specific measures will be taken for public entities and regional and local authorities.
These measures may include withholding tax for certain entities.
The government is strongly committed to this restructuring to ensure that everyone pays their electricity bills.
Gaston Elondou sends warnings to electricity fraudsters
There will be a relentless fight against fraud. It should be recalled that losses due to fraud amount to around 60 billion per year.
He says, the government plans to address this issue by installing 15,000 smart meters in MV/LV substations. This will not only enable flow management, but also generate additional cash flow.
Minister outlines efforts to improve on quality of electricity
Another measure to be taken by the State is to expand the customer base, particularly through investment in the transmission and distribution segments.
Gaston Elondou Essomba recalled that, today energy produced by the Nachtigal dam, for example, is transmitted to Douala via a 225kV transmission line connecting Nachtigal, Nyom II, Nkolkoumou, Oyomabang, Edea Beon, Missole and Ngodi Bakoko.
He said the government has embarked on the construction of a second transmission corridor to tap into latent demand in the major consumption centres of the Douala industrial zone.
To expand its customer base and generate more revenue, the government plans to connect new industries, which require approximately 150 megawatts, to the networks by the end of 2026. This will generate an additional revenue of around 50 billion.
