The Cameroonian Minister of Water and Energy received the Egyptian ambassador in Yaoundé. The two countries are opening avenues to strengthen their cooperation for the benefit of improving water and energy supply in Cameroon.
Cameroon is seeking the Egyptian recipe. Facing a shortage of electricity production and access to water in rural areas, Yaoundé is looking towards Cairo’s expertise. On Thursday, September 10, 2026, the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, received Ambassador Karim Sherif, Egyptian Assistant Minister in charge of African Affairs. Accompanied by The Arab Contractors, the giant that just delivered the Julius Nyerere mega power plant in Tanzania (2,115 MW, inaugurated on August 22).
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The exchanges with Egypt are not trivial. Cairo has succeeded where Yaoundé struggles: mass production, diversification (solar, gas, hydro), and above all, desalinating seawater and building hillside dams for rural areas. Facing this, Eloundou Essomba recalls the priorities for Cameroon. To copy the Egyptian solar model in the Far North. Maroua and Guider are already operating with Scatec.
But 3 other power plants are necessary. Egypt masters large-scale solar in the desert. Save Lagdo and connect the country. The RIS-RIN interconnection project (South-North) is blocked without a rehabilitation of Lagdo. Yet the Egyptians have the expertise to unlock the situation. To meet rural area needs, the minister announces hillside dams by the end of 2026. This is Egypt’s core business in irrigation. Even the strategic Kikot dam could see an Egyptian company among the builders. The Egyptian side confirmed this at the meeting.
The official discourse speaks of “South-South cooperation” and “African solutions.” In reality, it is a call for technical assistance: “We must build an Africa that has its own resources,” Karim Sherif declared.
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But the Egyptians set one condition. To receive mature projects from Cameroon, not just ideas. And above all, they offer what others lack: training Cameroonian technicians to maintain the power plants themselves.
The next step is participation in a business forum in Cairo by the end of 2026. Cameroon will have to arrive with solid files, not just speeches.
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