Friday, March 14, 2008

7.5 Billion to Boost Rural Electrification

from All Africa

Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)

By Fred Vubem

The accord was signed between the EU and MINPLADAT yesterday.

The Cameroon government has signed an accord with the European Union worth Fcfa7.5 billion to facilitate access to electricity in some rural areas in the country. The accord involves two projects to be carried out in the Rumpi area in the South West Province and the Mount Mandara region in the Far North Province. The accord was signed on behalf of Cameroon by the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis-Paul Motaze and for the EU by its ambassador to Cameroon, Javier Puyol.

Speaking during the signing ceremony which took place at the conference hall of the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Ambassador Puyol said he was happy the EU was in a position to improve the daily lives of over a million Cameroonians in rural areas, be it in domestic, productive or sanitary activities. "It is a concrete supplementary realisation in the fight against poverty in Cameroon which is the main objective of the millennium development goals".

The electrification project in the Rumpi area will last 48 months and will cost some Fcfa 6.6million. The project to be executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (AER) will benefit about a hundred villages in the area. Whereas the project in the Far North will last 36 months, it will be executed by the mission for the integrated development of Mount Mandara, MIDIMA. Some 28 villages will benefit from the project which will be linked to the Lagdo power supply station. The projects are co-financed to the tune of about 50 per cent by the Cameroonian government through the investment budget.

The accord falls within the EU initiative to facilitate access to energy in African/ACP countries worth some Fcfa135 billion. Over 300 applications were received from Africa and ACP countries, out of which only 69 were retained, including two projects from Cameroon. Cameroon may be benefiting from a third EU funded project at the level of CEMAC. However, this will be managed by the EU-CEMAC delegation. The signing of the accord was followed by a technical meeting between officials of the EU delegation and the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development.

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