CAMWATER signs landmark deal to rehabilitate water supply in 10 cities.

The signing ceremony marking the official launch of a large-scale project to rehabilitate and reinforce water supply systems in ten cities across the country, was signed between the Director General of CAMWATER, Dr Blaise Moussa, and the Director General of CGCOC, Lu Chunyu.

The ceremony to formalise the partnership was attended by members of CAMWATER’s Board of Directors, mayors of the beneficiary municipalities, and senior representatives of both institutions.

The initiative, according to officials of CAMWATER, is part of the vision of the Head of State, Paul Biya, who has consistently emphasised the need to ensure equitable and sustainable access to clean water nationwide. 

According to the agreement booklet, the cities that will benefit from this ambitious project are Tignère, Abong-Mbang, Guidiguis, Kribi, Bandjock, Monatélé, Ndokayo, Ngong, Ntui, and Pitoa.

Speaking at the event, Dr Moussa described the agreement as a decisive milestone for CAMWATER and for the millions of Cameroonians who continue to face water shortages. 

He highlighted that the project is designed to deliver modern and sustainable water supply solutions, while also contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 6, SDG6, which calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030. 

He noted that, according to projections, close to 1.2 million people will benefit from improved and reliable access to potable water by the year 2045.

The agreement, he said, underlines government’s commitment to meeting the basic needs of its people, while laying the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable water supply system.

Taking the floor, Lu Chunyu saluted the initiative, while promising his company’s readiness to ensure they met deadline. He equally pledged to bring in his company’s expertise to ensure the ambitions of CAMWATER are met.

The project, we gathered, will unfold in two phases. The first phase focuses on rehabilitating and upgrading existing water supply systems in five of the targeted cities. The second phase will oversee the construction of entirely new systems in the remaining cities. According to the agreement booklet, CAMWATER will serve as the contracting authority, while CGCOC Group will provide technical expertise, and Eximbank China has been designated as the financial partner for the venture.

The timeline for the project is set at 78 months, beginning with a six-month preparatory period. This will be followed by 36 months of work on the first phase and another 36 months dedicated to the second phase.

For the communities concerned, the project represents more than infrastructure development. It promises better health outcomes, reduced time spent searching for water, and a significant improvement in living conditions. Local mayors present at the ceremony welcomed the accord, noting that access to clean water remains a daily challenge for their populations.

To experts in the domain, this development from CAMWATER could be seen as one of the most ambitious undertaken by the institution in recent years. The project, sources said, reflects the company’s growing capacity to forge strategic partnerships for the benefit of citizens. 

If executed as planned, the rehabilitation and reinforcement programme, sources said, could become a model for future water management initiatives in the country and beyond.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3575 of Thursday September 25, 2025