Cameroon’s Water and Energy Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba met with French development partners in Yaoundé on October 19 to discuss how local councils can finance and maintain rural water infrastructure without relying entirely on external support. The talks involved representatives of Gescod and the Alsace-Moselle Water and Sanitation Syndicate (SDEA), which support intercommunal water management projects in the country.
According to the ministry, the meeting reviewed existing intercommunal water management projects, their financial and operational challenges, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation. Discussions focused on the ability of local authorities to mobilize resources, maintain water infrastructure and ensure continuous service delivery.
The initiative builds on cooperation programs implemented in the Mbam and Inoubou and Lékié divisions of Cameroon's Centre Region. Under the intercommunal management model, neighboring councils pool technical expertise, personnel and financial resources to manage water supply infrastructure and sanitation services. The ministry said the approach is intended to strengthen local management capacity while distributing operational responsibilities and costs among participating councils.
A €1.22 Million Program Targeting 475,000 Residents
The cooperation has received financial backing from the French Development Agency (AFD). According to its project documentation, the agency allocated €1.22 million, approximately CFAF 800 million, through its financing facility for French local authorities, known as FICOL, to support intercommunal water services in Cameroon. The program targets approximately 475,000 rural residents across the Mbam and Inoubou and Lékié divisions.
Its objectives include rehabilitating 246 wells and boreholes equipped with pumps, establishing 480 water-user committees and training their members to manage local water infrastructure. The program also seeks to strengthen the technical and administrative capacities of local authorities responsible for water services.
The project began in February 2023 and was scheduled to end in July 2026, although AFD's published project information still lists it as ongoing. The October 19 meeting addressed the financial and operational conditions needed to sustain water services over the longer term.
Financial Sustainability and Wider Adoption
The ministry identified financial viability, contributions from local populations, equipment maintenance and infrastructure replacement among the challenges affecting the long-term sustainability of the intercommunal model. These issues concern the resources needed to operate water facilities, repair breakdowns and replace aging equipment.
The discussions also examined the capacity of households to contribute financially to water services. Gescod, which has operated in Cameroon since 1987, has supported local development projects in collaboration with SDEA and Cameroonian councils.
Financial constraints have affected the broader intercommunal system. In its project documentation, AFD reported significant delays in central government transfers intended to cover local authorities' operating and investment expenses. It also identified the Mbam and Inoubou council association (Sycomi) and the Lékié council association (Syncolek) as the country's only functioning intercommunal structures at the time of its assessment.
Beyond the existing projects, the ministry and its partners examined opportunities to strengthen institutional cooperation and extend the intercommunal water management approach across Cameroon. This would require closer coordination between the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy, the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development, municipal authorities and intercommunal organizations.
Mercy Fosoh