Addressing domestic gas scarcity: CSPH sets up checkpoints to strengthen nationwide supply.

It was unveiled during a ceremony in Sombo, Dibang Subdivision in the Nyong and Kelle Division of the Centre Region.

The event was part of an inspection and working visit to the domestic gas control point in Sombo, by the results-driven Director General of CSPH, Okie Johnson Ndoh. 

He was accompanied by the Assistant Director General of CSPH, Diane Valerie Obam, and other officials of the corporation. 

The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Nyong and Nkelle, Emmanuel Engamba Ledoux, alongside other officials attended the event.

Okie, during the visit, also installed officials of the Sombo checkpoint and toured the facility.

Ensuring compliance, protecting consumers

According to the CSPH boss, the checkpoint is setup to ensure compliance in terms of collection and circulation of petroleum products and cooking gas. He noted that the facilities are meant to solve challenges associated with reporting on petroleum products in the market.

Okie justified the checkpoint as coming to enhance traceability of petroleum products, gas flows, prevent fraud, misappropriation, track the circulation of petroleum products, cooking gas and improve monitoring, especially through on-site checks. 

The checkpoint system, he added, will also enable the government trace cooking gas subsidy. He noted that in line with its mission, the CSPH has come up with the checkpoint innovation to protect the purchasing power of consumers and ensure stability in the supply and availability of petroleum products.

Okie opined that the measure also ties with the instructions of the Head of State, Paul Biya, to ensure energy accessible to all citizens and curb the cost of living. He intimated that CSPH will continue to invest in vital infrastructure as part of actions to build Cameroon’s energy sovereignty.

He indicated that the corporation has four checkpoints located in Nkongsamba, Littoral Region; Tonga, Nde Division of the West Region; Bagofit, Abong-Mbang Subdivision, Upper Nyong Division in the East Region, and Sombo in the Centre Region.

New page, curbing losses 

Okie told stakeholders that the control move marks a new era in dealing with petroleum products fraud, especially in the domestic gas supply chain. He said studies carried out by the CSPH from 2023-2025 showed losses of at least five billion FCFA.

Some actors in the domestic gas supply chain, he said, sometimes load consignments declared for certain towns and cities but end up diverting the product elsewhere. 

Gas bottles in the Cameroon market, he said, have ended up in neigbouring countries, resulting in enormous losses.

With the checkpoint, he insisted that a bottle of cooking gas weighing 12.5 KG will be sold at the official price of 6,500 and not 9,000 FCFA or 12,000 FCFA, as some actors have been doing.

He insisted that the checkpoint concept is a solution that comes into place with the support of the private sector. Okie said the move will address the artificial scarcity that oftentimes affects supply for household consumption.

Okie said the billions spent to subsidise cooking as directed by the President of the Republic must not be frustrated. He noted that studies show that cooking gas subvention has remained on the rise, despite government’s effort.

Going forward, the CSPH boss said cooking gas must be available in the market respecting the price and approved quality. The DG appealed to officials of the Sombo checkpoint to work in the interest of the population.

Mayor praises initiative 

The Mayor of Dibang Council, Eliane Ngo Bikai, thanked the management of the CSPH and its Director General, Okie Johnson, for choosing Sombo to host the checkpoint. 

Ngo Bikai said the facility has put her community in the spotlight and supports President Biya's energy accessibility vision. She declared the readiness of the Dibang municipality to support the checkpoint and its staff deliver on assigned mission.

The Director of Studies, Follow Up of Petroleum Statistics at CSPH, Waziri Hassan Oumate, said the concept also seems to see consumers get the exact volume of gas they are paying for. 

He said dealers in cooking gas must notify the checkpoint boss 72 hours before arrival to ensure fluidity in the entire chain. The four officials to man the checkpoint were presented by the Director of Human Resources, Eboukele Guillaume.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3918 of Wednesday September 23, 2026