Cameroon: Cameroon Has the Power. It Cannot Deliver It

What the report says

African Arguments, republished by AllAfrica, says Cameroon’s electricity problem has shifted from generating too little power to moving and paying for what it already produces. The analysis argues that major hydropower projects, including Nachtigal, Lom Pangar and Memve’ele, have raised installed capacity to near 2,000 megawatts, yet blackouts and load-shedding continue because of weak transmission lines, overloaded transformers, distribution losses and unpaid bills.

The article points to the southern grid, which serves Douala, Yaoundé and much of the economy, as the main pressure point. It notes that outages in Douala have hit industry and essential services, while the line between Edéa and Douala cannot fully meet demand. The north and south grids are still not connected, leaving surplus hydropower in one region unable to support another. The author also cites regulatory and World Bank-backed estimates showing substantial energy loss between substations and customer meters.

Beyond infrastructure, the piece highlights a worsening financial chain. It says the distributor, recently taken back into state hands, owes large sums to transmission and generation companies, while the government is trying to arrange financing to keep power suppliers current. The analysis also discusses fraud, illegal connections and the burden on households that still lack access or cannot afford connection and appliance costs.

The broader significance, according to the article, is that Cameroon’s industrial and social development now depends less on building dams and more on maintaining grids, collecting revenue and ensuring that electricity reaches homes and factories reliably.