The northern region of Cameroon is facing a persistent energy crisis, exacerbated by electricity and water cuts. During the Canal Presse program on Canal 2, Aimé Sadou, an analyst, highlighted the root causes of this situation, questioning the official explanations related to drought. He points to failures in the management of the Lagdo dam, a key infrastructure for the region's energy supply.
Sadou emphasized the blame game between the companies in charge of water and electricity management, noting that the lack of electricity in the North is often attributed to problems at Lagdo. He insisted on the need to inform Cameroonians about the reasons for these difficulties, mentioning questionable technical choices, including the relocation of turbines to the Mékin dam. "There are two turbines that were removed from Lagdo and moved to the Mékin dam. As a result, today we have big electricity problems and we have the impression that it is intentional," he declared.
Beyond the official discourse on drought, Aimé Sadou insisted on the lack of maintenance and the silting up of the Lagdo dam, which have led to a critical situation. He recalled the interdependence between water and electricity, stressing that many cities depend on electricity for water pumping. "When there is no water, there is no electricity, when there is no electricity, there is no water either," he explained.
The alternatives put in place, such as solar power, do not seem to compensate for the failures of the hydraulic system. This situation highlights the scale of the energy challenges in northern Cameroon and the need for a structural response to ensure a reliable supply of electricity and water.
The Lagdo dam, built between 1977 and 1982, aimed to provide electricity to the northern part of the country and irrigate 15,000 hectares of crops. However, over the years, the silting up of its reservoir has reduced its production capacity, requiring rehabilitation work estimated at 100 billion FCFA. Companies such as Voith, General Electric, Sinohydro and CWE are competing for this contract. In the meantime, the people of the North continue to suffer the consequences of this energy crisis.
