The Cameroon Electricity Corporation (SOCADEL S.A.) officially launched its operations on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, marking a significant step in the reorganization of Cameroon's electricity sector. The announcement was made by the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, following a presidential decree on May 4 appointing the members of the board of directors. The first session of the board of directors, held at the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé, aimed to lay the operational foundations for this new public entity.
The inaugural meeting marked the effective start of SOCADEL S.A.'s activities and opened a new phase in the management of electricity in Cameroon. The agenda included the establishment of governance bodies and the installation of the company's management team. The creation of SOCADEL is part of a process of reorganizing the national electricity sector, aimed at redefining the mechanisms for managing and steering energy.
SOCADEL was formed from the transformation of Energy of Cameroon (ENEO) into a public company. This transformation follows the acquisition by the Cameroonian State of the shares held by the British fund Actis in ENEO. SOCADEL's missions are to carry out all activities related to the production, distribution, import, export, purchase, sale and use of electrical energy, in Cameroon and abroad. It is placed under the technical supervision of the ministry in charge of electricity and under the financial supervision of the Ministry of Finance.
SOCADEL's staff primarily consists of those who belonged to ENEO Cameroon, approximately 3,600 employees of Cameroonian origin. However, SOCADEL may employ directly recruited personnel, seconded civil servants and State employees under the Labour Code. The creation of SOCADEL represents a new chapter in the management of the Cameroonian electricity sector, refocused around a public entity called upon to meet the challenges of performance, governance and service.
With the establishment of SOCADEL, Cameroon aims to address the challenges related to electricity production and distribution, while ensuring better governance of the sector. Opening up capital to other public and private players is being considered, a sign of a desire to boost Cameroon's energy sector.
