As the separatist conflict in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon intensifies, the government plans to launch a drinking water supply project in the South West. As part of this project, feasibility studies will be carried out. Deutsche Bank will finance this stage of the project with a loan of €4.5 million (almost 3 billion CFA francs). The loan agreement was recently signed between the German bank and the Cameroonian Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT).
The government of Cameroon estimates that the feasibility studies for the water supply project in the South West region will last six months from the start of the work. The implementation phase of the project is expected to last 24 months. The project will benefit the towns of Buea, Tiko and Mutenguene.
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In Buea, where the works will be launched, the project concerns the rehabilitation of drinking water production facilities. This will increase the drinking water production capacity to between 16,000 and 20,000 m3 per day. According to the Cameroonian authorities, all of the project’s components will make it possible to increase the daily production of drinking water in the three towns to 30,000 m3 and to strengthen storage capacity to reach 16,000 m3 of water. Drinking water will be supplied through 288 km of distribution network.
To complete the drinking water supply project, the Cameroonian government has set itself a budget of 93.7 million euros, more than 61.5 billion CFA francs.
Inès Magoum