Cameroon Mini-Hydro Renewable Energy Programme

The programme

The initiative centres on a portfolio of mini-hydroelectric projects, beginning with the Mfu Hydroelectric Scheme in the Sanaga River Basin (Noun Region) as the pilot. Mini-hydro at 1.5–5 MW per scheme is the pragmatic scale for Cameroon’s river basins: small enough to develop through streamlined MOU-based pathways rather than competitive tenders, large enough to electrify real regional economies.

Roughly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity.¹ Energy is both the constraint and the opportunity, and the reason energy infrastructure is a structural layer of every Integrated Production Hub.

Core objectives

• Advance the Mfu pilot, with its signed Government MOU, from completed pre-feasibility through full feasibility studies to bankable status.
• Develop a broader pipeline of mini-hydro projects with immediate potential exceeding 29 MW across multiple departments, using the streamlined MOU-based approach.
• Introduce technical innovation and international best practice in mini-hydro design, construction and operation, tailored to Cameroonian river basins.
• Secure development funding and South African technical expertise to accelerate feasibility work and reach financial close.
• Generate socio-economic impact through local job creation, skills development, community empowerment and improved energy access in underserved regions, supported by strong traditional leadership in the Noun Region, including the Bamum royal court.

What comes next

Development funding for full feasibility on the Mfu pilot is the immediate milestone. With pre-feasibility complete and the Government MOU in place, the pathway to bankable status is defined, and the broader 29 MW+ pipeline follows the pilot’s template.