COP 21: Energy
should be top priority in Cameroon’s agenda
 |
| Cameroon is preparing to get more renewable in the years ahead. Photo credit: Multi-Tech Systems |
It is
evening in Ndzomayi, small neighbourhood in Babessi, North West
region-Cameroon. Mama Mbeh Nchemanyi, 79 puts on her bush lamp to lighten her
home. “I am using this lamp since my parents.” She said. Mama Mbeh’s strength
is fading and her grief is worsened by the incessant increase in the price of
kerosene. In 2014, the government of Cameroon
cut subsidies on petroleum products and this led to an increase in prices making
things rough for those who depend on kerosene to lighten their homes like this
old woman. Mama Mbeh told us she used to use 500 FCFA($1 USD) kerosene for one
week and more but today she buy’s for 2000 FCFA($4 USD) and it does not last
for three days.
But in
the middle of Mama Mbeh’s plight two of her village sons from the big cities
brought her a solar powered lamp last three weeks. Today with her new lamp, she
has found a no cost solution to her light problems. “I am having this new lamp that is chargeable by
sun. It is so wonderful, I leave it under the sun and I have light at night.”
Prides Mama Mbeh. “I spend zero FCFA on
kerosene again since I received this new lamp from my sons”. She explains
further.
Mama Mbeh
and the close to 150 people living in her area are happy to get news of this
innovation. There is even more good news for them and the close to 10.6 million
people that live in rural areas in Cameroon as the Minister of Water Resources
and Energy (MINEE), Basile Atangana Kouna, announced on June 10, 2015 the
launch of a photovoltaic solar energy plant project that will electrify 166
rural zones. This news adds to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP)
solar energy project in Cameroon, which is working to electrify some 90
localities in the West, North West and South West regions.
“New and renewable energies also offer us an
important operational field for electricity generation. Two photovoltaic solar
energy plants, of 500 MW each, will soon be constructed, within the framework
of public/private partnership with the FIDES GESTION group and the Chinese
HUAWEI company; the plants will primarily supply secondary towns and rural
areas.” Said Minister Basile in a report published on his ministry’s website in
2014.
Minister Basile is equally optimist Cameroon
will cover the shortage in supply for domestic and enterprise use in the months
ahead. He counts on 201 –Mega Watt (MW) Memve’ele, 30 MW -Lom
Pangar and 15 MW -Mekin hydroelectric projects and others small and medium
sized projects in the Littoral, North West and Adamawa regions to reach his
target. “We aim to triple our production
by the year 2020 and, thus, step up the installed capacity to 3000 MW.” He
revealed.
However,
the president of the Republic, Paul Biya feels energy is a very significant
element for Cameroon’s 2035 vision. Prefacing the MINEE’s report titled Water
resources and Energy: The driving force of economic growth in Cameroon,
President Biya said “Energy
is at the core of any development process. Without it, there can neither be
industry nor processing of raw materials, and hence, there can be no modern
economy.”
Meanwhile
on the 20th of July, 2015 Cameroon’s
Minister of Environment, Nature protection and Sustainable
Development, Pierre Hele hosted a two day workshop in the nations economic
capital Douala, to prepare an agenda for Paris COP 21, 2015 that will take
place from November 30th to 11th December, 2015.
During the workshop, Minister
Pierre Hele called on stake holders to guide their agenda towards
the development of energy efficiency, promotion of smart agriculture and
sustainable livestock.
The minister earnestly insisted on the support of
reforestation projects particularly those that work towards keeping a
green Sub saharan Africa.
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