Cameroon, CAR, Congo: Agreement For Interconnectivity Studies Signed

The Ministers of Water Resources and Energy of the three countries met in Yaounde yesterday, December 28, 2016.

The governments of Cameroon, Central African Republic, CAR, and Congo have agreed to connect electricity to some of their cities from existing networks and the Dimoli Hydropower Dam in CAR. Cameroon’s Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Basile Atangana Kouna, the Minister of Energy and Hydraulics of the Republic of Congo, Serge Blaise Zoniaba and the Minister of Mines, Energy and Hydraulics of the Central African Republic, Léopold Mboli Fatran, penned a protocol agreement for feasibility studies in Yaounde yesterday December 28, 2016. 

The feasibility studies by the Central Africa Energy Pool, PEAC, are funded by the Central African State Development Bank, BDEAC. The wish of the three governments is to have the studies ready soonest. This will facilitate and speed up the procedure to source for funding for the construction of the dam, Minister Atangana Kouna said.

Yesterday’s get-together was double-fold. Coming on the heels of the protocol agreement signing was the Inter-state Steering Committee meeting of the Chollet Hydropower Dam, co-chaired by Water Resources and Energy Ministers of Cameroon and Congo, with PEAC Permanent Secretary, Jean Chrysostome Mekondongo, as guest. It emerged from the in-camera talks that project timeline was to be readjusted, tender files for the recruitment of experts should be signed and FCFA 1.9 billion endorsed as budget for the project for 2017.

Cameroon and Congo through their Heads of State resolved to use the Chollet Hydropower Dam as a fountain for regional integration...