This commitment was made on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, in Yaounde during the donors’ round-table aimed at raising the necessary funding for a project to construct 300 mini drinking water supply networks in rural areas of Cameroon. The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Mr Alamine Ousmane Mey, and the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Mr Gaston Eloundou Essomba co-chaired the meeting. Officials from international financial institutions, development cooperation agencies and public administrations also attended.

The Government needs to mobilise CFAF 276 billion to implement this project. This budget stems from the preliminary and detailed design studies carried out between 2022 and 2023, thanks to funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB). In order to address this funding need, MINEPAT and MINEE organised this round-table. According to the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, ‘the aim was to present the various studies to the funding bodies to gather their funding intentions’.

Gaston Eloundou Essomba points out that the World Bank has committed to funding at least a hundred of the 300 mini-drinking water supply systems envisaged in the three northern regions. As regards AfDB, it plans to integrate these water supply systems as part of the implementation of hill dams in the northern part of the country. As well, it plans to associate these drinking water supply projects with other major infrastructural development projects. The other funding bodies have also expressed an interest in this project and have promised to specify their financial commitments once their internal approvals are obtained.

As for the Minister of the Economy, he commended the commitment of Cameroon’s development partners. According to Alamine Ousmane Mey, the project will be implemented in several phases and will involve all stakeholders in a participatory and inclusive manner to ensure efficient mobilisation of resources, as well as optimal execution and management. Innovative funding mechanisms will be given priority, especially through the integration of climate funds and the involvement of the private sector. The MINEPAT has also invited other partners to get involved in this project, which entails major socio-economic stakes for local populations.