Cameroon Plans to Install 50,000 Concrete Poles in 2025 to Combat Power Outages

Related Articles

Belgian Coach Tom Saintfiet Weighs in on Eto’o-Brys Rift: Respect Comes First

April 12, 2025

Une décision de l’administration Trump prive les Camerounais du Statut de Protection Temporaire

April 12, 2025

Temporary Protected Status for Cameroonians Terminated by Trump Administration

April 12, 2025

Business in Cameroon | To tackle frequent power outages, Cameroon is taking steps to replace its aging wooden power poles with stronger concrete ones. On April 8, 2025, the country’s Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, kicked off a large-scale campaign to replace the wooden poles. The campaign’s launch was marked by visits to two manufacturing plants in Souza (Moungo) and Missolè (Sanaga-Maritime).

According to the Minister, Cameroon will install 50,000 concrete poles across the country in 2025, with 10,000 poles planned for the first phase, which will start next week. Currently, Cameroon has more than 1.6 million wooden power poles, over 40% of which are in poor condition, prompting this new initiative.

To address the frequent collapses of wooden poles, the government has tasked local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with producing the concrete poles, ensuring they meet the high standards set by Eneo, the country’s main electricity provider. These standards focus on the strength and quality of the poles, which are crucial for strengthening the national power grid, the Minister explained.

This effort builds on a pilot phase launched in 2019, which led to the production of 1,800 concrete poles locally. By 2020, the program had entered its “maturity” phase, with plans to replace 90,000 wooden poles using a combination of new wood, concrete, and metal poles. By the end of September 2021, Eneo had already replaced 83,000 poles.

Moreover, a national tender was launched in December 2024 for the urgent supply and installation of 10,000 concrete poles across all ten regions of Cameroon. This operation is being funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) with CFA9.5 billion, under the Electricity Sector Recovery Support Program (Parsec).

The project is seen as a significant step in improving the country’s electricity infrastructure, aiming to reduce frequent power disruptions that have impacted households and businesses alike.