On March 12, 2026, in Yaoundé, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Célestine Ketcha Courtès, signed two memoranda of understanding with Thermosun Cameroun and Blue Energy Holding, paving the way for massive investments in energy recovery from waste in Douala and Yaoundé. These agreements, representing a combined investment potential of 856.8 billion FCFA, aim to develop waste treatment and energy recovery units in Cameroon's two largest cities.
These projects follow the national forum on urban waste management held on May 6 and 7, 2025, in Yaoundé. During this forum, the ministry highlighted a "worrying" unsanitary situation in Douala and Yaoundé, mentioning the creation of a special account to secure payments to service providers in the sector. However, at this stage, these agreements are only statements of intent, and the realization of these investments remains uncertain.
In Douala, waste production is estimated at 2,700 tons per day. In 2026, the Urban Community allocated 7 billion FCFA to waste management and awarded Genelcam a 954 million FCFA contract for part of the collection. The situation is similar in Yaoundé, where Hysacam won three of the four lots in a call for tenders launched by the Urban Community in November 2024, for an amount of over 45 billion FCFA. The fourth lot was declared unsuccessful, indicating difficulties in sustainably structuring the collection market in the capital. In both cities, the equation remains the same: increasing waste volumes, saturated infrastructure, and insufficient resources.
Thermosun Cameroun plans to build two industrial waste recovery units in Douala and Yaoundé, with an investment of 276.8 billion FCFA. The goal is to transform urban waste into biogas, electricity, hydrogen, and compost, using technology developed by Smargine Engineering. These facilities would collect approximately 1,500 tons of waste per day and process 833 tons, or nearly 280,000 tons per year.
Blue Energy Holding also plans two treatment units in Douala and Yaoundé, at a cost of 580 billion FCFA. The company announces a treatment capacity of 3,000 tons of waste per day and an annual electricity production of approximately 912 GWh. This energy would be destined for the urban grid and the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems of both cities. The project also includes the commissioning of 600 eco-friendly buses, a fleet of 1,000 biogas-powered trucks, and the installation of 10,000 garbage bins to encourage sorting at the source. The promoters mention the potential creation of over 15,000 direct and indirect jobs.
These ambitions contrast with the resources currently mobilized in the sector. Between 2020 and 2022, the waste tax generated 60.6 billion FCFA, or approximately 20.2 billion FCFA per year in total. A World Bank study cited by Hysacam estimates that at least 15 billion FCFA per year would be needed to properly collect waste in Yaoundé.
In January 2026, Hysacam called on Ceneema to unclog the PK10 landfill in Douala and the Nkolfoulou landfill in Yaoundé, due to site saturation. In Douala, the operator is continuing its program of waste transfer centers to reduce the logistical costs of collection. The success of Thermosun and Blue Energy's projects will depend on secure funding, sustainable public participation, proven technologies, and a clear articulation with existing operators.
These 856.8 billion FCFA represent a bet on the ability of public and private actors to structure an industrial waste sector. The challenge is to transform an urban constraint into a sustainable economic activity.
