US$325m to improve efficiency and reliability of the national electricity network in Cameroon

In December 2016, the World Bank approved an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan of US$325m to strengthen Cameroon’s national electricity transmission network. The project will help improve the quality of Cameroon’s power supply and unlock private sector investment.

With only 74% of the population living in localities with direct access to electricity, the need and pressure for electricity is very high in Cameroon. The project will address some specific constraints, particularly in electricity access by enabling the transfer of power from the new hydropower plants and energy-surplus from regions to towns and villages in under-served regions, and improve quality of supply in urban areas.

The project will benefit present and future electricity users, including the poor, who are disproportionately excluded due to the lack of reliable and efficient transmission capacity to service demand. In addition, the extra transmission capacity created under the proposed project will help increase productivity and spur economic growth.

For more information on Cameroon’s proposed national electricity network project, see full article.