At UK Green Economy symposium: Gov’t urged to explore opportunities in renewable energy.

The side event was a platform for strategic partnership towards investments in the de-carbonisation agenda. It was placed under the theme: “Innovating for Sustainable Future”.

Representatives of several UK multinational companies, trade investors, representative of government ministries and actors in the renewable energy sector, attended the event. 

Speaking during the event, the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E Barry Lowen, said the forum centrered on modern partnership for a sustainable future for both the UK and Cameroon. 

“The transition towards a green economy is a common challenge and we have been having discussions between government representatives and representatives from the private sector to find a way forward to tackle it and to move both countries towards a sustainable future in a mutually beneficial partnership,” the British High Commissioner said. 

The diplomat further highlighted that the UK, through its public and private enterprises are making great contribution in driving the green economy not only in Cameroon but at the global level. 

“We have representatives of UK Export Finance, UKEF, which support that aspect of financing. In this week of Promote, I also want to highlight that of the UK private sector and we have British global companies in the development of this green economy,” he said. 

“There’s is a strong potential to develop commercial partnership of mutual benefit in this green economy,” Lowen reiterated.

Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon contribution

On her part, the Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon S.A, Ewelina Tomdio Mabian, said the forum was very strategic, with global sustainable finance one of the key issues discussed. 

The Executive Director then mentioned that Standard Chartered Bank has been supporting the government of Cameroon for several decades in terms of infrastructure development especially the power sector. 

“We continue conversation with the government on specific subjects but more importantly, we are proud to say that we work with other partners such as UKEF in advising the government on structures and the best projects to put forward for sustainable development,” Tomdio told The Guardian Post. 

She added that “we have had the pleasure of contributing financially the sum of over 2 billion Euro in supporting the government in many projects of infrastructures especially in energy sector”. 

Cameroon’s potentials highlighted

While saluting the UK High Commissioner and British government for the initiative of the Green Economy symposium, the Chairman of the UK-Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Dr Elias Pungong, said Cameroon has a lot of potentials in terms of the green economy or renewable energy. 

According to Dr Pungong, Cameroon needs to tap from its enormous potentials in renewable energy to become a Green Economy superpower. 

Highlighting some of the country’s potentials, DR Pungong, said: “Cameroon is the second potential in terms of hydropower beside the DR Congo. We have the Sanaga River Basin, the Mungo River Basin, and the Nyong River basin all at accessible locations...”.

“50% of Cameroon is made up of Forest and we are home to 10% of the Congo Basin forest, which is second in terms of absorption of Carbondioxide, after the Amazon forest,” he added. 

While calling on government to give a special attention on the potentials of the green economy, he said: “let us take advantage of what the UK is trying to promote and let our people benefit from the access that we already have and make a success of it”. 

It is worth noting that the Green Economy symposium was proceeded by a UK Education Forum which brought together officials of the British Council and education partners to highlight the high education content from the UK to the Cameroon public.