SONARA presents 300 billion FCFA rehabilitation plan to Fako elite.

The plan which officials said will be executed in 24 months, was presented during a meeting in Limbe, Wednesday, September, 10, 2025. 

SONARA authorities said the plan was formally adopted during the company’s 139th Board meeting on August 13, 2025. 

In attendance were; Members of Parliament, MPs, mayors and traditional rulers.

The General Manager of SONARA, El Hadj Bako Harouna, said the plan targets the full restoration of the refinery's production capacity to pre-disaster state. 

He said it focuses on recapitalising the company and rehabilitating crucial production units damaged during the devastating May 2019 fire incident. 

The GM noted that the plan also involves implementing a comprehensive workforce upgrade.

The GM stated that SONARA’s accrued debts, exceeding FCFA 500 billion owed banks and international oil traders, have been addressed in the plan’s financing strategy. 

The GM said the plan will ensure the company secures financing through recapitalising equity and establishing partnerships to fund the rehabilitation. 

At the technical level, he said PARRAS 24 seeks to restore four of the thirteen production units to pre-disaster standards, with expert consultancy validating the feasibility of this rehabilitation. 

Officials stated that the plan is based on the findings of the French firm EKIUM, which assessed that 75% of the refinery’s damaged units can be reused, while 25% have to be replaced.

The Plan, the GM noted, will ensure the gradual modernisation of SONARA. 

Such, he insisted, will result in the construction and equipping of the refinery with a hydrocracker, to refine Cameroonian crude. 

“…the project is not only SONARA’s, it is our collective project. It aligns with a long-term modernization strategy while simultaneously addressing the urgent need to revive our industrial apparatus, which is to our nation’s energy sovereignty,” the GM stated.

Praises gov’t’s dedication to SONARA

El Hadj Bako Harouna, thanked the government for its strong support for PARRAS 24, including measures to ease the company’s financial burden. The GM cited the State’s absorption of SONARA’s tax debt and the creation of dedicated financing lines to support the company.

PARRAS 24, he said, was conceived by SONARA, with government’s blessing. 

He explained that the scheme is a cornerstone project to revitalise the country’s refining capacity, secure energy independence, and stabilise domestic petroleum markets.

He assured the elite that government is committed to ensuring the sustained recovery of SONARA.

The Chief of Service for Research and Development at the Project Department of SONARA, Metutu Wilson, said PARRAS 24 is a strong signal and positive indicator of SONARA's irreversible progress

Elite salute GM, promise support

The elite who attended the meeting saluted the General Manager for engaging with the local population on the project.

Senator Mbella Moki said the neglect of SONARA, since 2019, is unacceptable. He praised the GM for his skilled leadership in ensuring that the dream of rehabilitation becomes a reality.

The Mayor of Buea, Barrister David Mafani Namange, quizzed the General Manager on why bitumen, a byproduct of crude oil, cannot be produced by SONARA. The GM stated it is more expensive to produce bitumen with Cameroonian crude.

Other politicians hammered on the need for the local population to be given job opportunities in the rehabilitation process. 

They stressed that SONARA being a national company, the people hosting corporation must also benefit from it.

Chief Dr Ekoka Molindo, speaking on behalf of Fako Chiefs, expressed joy that the company would be rehabilitated. He said the new General Manager had brought new impetus to the management of SONARA.

Chief Dr Molindo promised the continuous support and blessings of the gods, traditional rulers and people of Fako for the rehabilitation of the company.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3562 of Friday September 12, 2025