At evaluation meeting: Minister hails strides of Rural Electricity Access Project for Underserved Regions.

The minister gave the body the pat on the back Wednesday in Yaounde. This was during the 6th session of the steering committee meeting of the Rural Electricity Access Project for Underserved Regions.

Speaking as he addressed the gathering, Minister Eloundou Essomba, recounted that in 2017, government validated its Rural Electrification Master Plan, PDER, for the period 2016-2035 which seeks to increase the rate of access to electricity.

The member of government said the strategic document, drawn up using a least-cost approach and geospatial planning, aims to balance access to electricity between the different regions in order to reduce the disparities in access observed.

He was categorical that reliable access to electricity is essential for any modern economy. The minister, however, regretted that the rate of access to electricity in Cameroon remains substantially low, at around 72% by 2023. 

He said in order to address the issue, government has embarked on a vast programme aimed at electrifying remote localities using solar energy, connecting all localities to the electricity network, and setting up a mechanism to pre-finance the cost of connecting disadvantaged households.

Minister Eloundou Essomba told the gathering that within the said framework, government, with the financial support of various donors, has structured the Rural Electricity Access Project for Underserved Regions, PERACE which aims to reduce disparities in access to electricity in the country.

He described PERACE as a major rural electrification project among the projects and programmes set up by the Head of State to facilitate access to electricity for the most disadvantaged populations.

“Now that we are in the fourth year of implementation of this project…this is a good time to assess the results achieved and to ask reasonable questions about whether the objectives assigned to this project will be achieved by the deadline and, if necessary, to anticipate the measures that need to be taken to achieve the target set” the minister said.

He disclosed with regards to improving access to electricity, 1,000,000 people are benefiting from a new or improved electricity service under PERACE thanks to connections made through the Revolving Fund, the target figure expected in June 2025 being 1,102,825 people.

He said PERACE's contribution to increasing the national rate of access to electricity is around 8%, including 2.85% in the first quarter of 2024, with a target value of 5% by 30 June 2025.

In addition, the minister said 2,662 people affected by the Project's works in the East and Far North Regions have been compensated.

He was, however blunt, that: “These encouraging results should not overshadow one of PERACE's major challenges, namely the electrification of 280 localities in the underserved regions and the completion of 57,000 connections from the new networks…”. 

The minister then stressed that “in this respect, the pace of execution of the five major contracts for the construction of Medium Voltage, MV and Low Voltage, LV electricity networks in the North West, East and Far North Regions is slow, and this situation deserves the attention of all those involved to ensure that the work is completed and handed over by the deadline of 30 June 2025”.

He added that: “Unfortunately, it should be noted that the flooding in the Far North could have a significant impact on completion times in this part of the country.  The same applies to the electrification contract for 49 localities in the North West Region, where the security situation could also have an impact on the contract's completion times”.

Enter project coordinator

Taking the cue during the gathering, the National Coordinator of the PERACE, Ful Jude Fonkwa, counted the achievements of the project, naming them one by one.

He told newsmen that: “The major achievements as of today is that we have connected more two hundred and five thousand houses”.

Fonkwa disclosed that PERACE has signed contracts with five contractors who are constructing medium voltage and low voltage lines in the different regions concerned. He said the contracts are ongoing in the East, Far North and North West regions.

“More to that, we have electrified 15 health centres in other regions. As the minister said, the Revolving Fund doesn’t concern only the underserved regions. It concerns all the regions of Cameroon. so, the two hundred and five thousand houses connected are from all the regions of Cameroon,” he clarified.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3242 of Friday September 27, 2024