(Business in Cameroon) – On April 21, 2025, President Paul Biya signed three decrees authorizing the Minister of Economy, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to secure a total of CFA 112.5 billion from three international banks. The funds will be used for the reconfiguration of the water supply system in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon.
According to the presidential decrees, the Minister will borrow €73.1 million (CFA 47.9 billion) from ING Bank of Belgium. These funds will support the first phase of the project. At the same time, €60 million (CFA 39.36 billion) will be raised through Belfius Bank of Belgium for the second phase, while Deutsche Bank will provide €38.53 million (CFA 25.27 billion) for the third phase.
This project is an extension of the existing water supply initiative known as Paepys, which was completed and inaugurated in 2024. Paepys focused on drawing water from the Sanaga River to provide a new water treatment plant in Batschenga, in the Centre Region, with a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters per day, expandable to 400,000 cubic meters.
However, the Ministry of Water and Energy notes that while this infrastructure helps close the existing gap of 215,000 cubic meters currently lacking in Yaoundé, the Akomnyada station still only produces 100,000 cubic meters a day, while the demand stands at 315,000 cubic meters. Therefore, despite the new treatment facility, certain areas of the city remain underserved due to the outdated water distribution network. This highlights the need for a full reconfiguration of the system to accommodate the new production capacity.
