BrazilCameroon seeks consulting support for power grid expansion project
Cameroon as become the latest African country to seek support from the consulting industry for a major energy development project, specifically for the Electricity Transmission and Sector Reform Network (PRRTERS) Retrofit Project. The selected firm will be tasked with conducting a feasibility study for the project.
Africa is poised to play a central role in the global economy over the next few decades, primarily on the back of a large and exceptionally young population that has an increasing amount of internet access, and is entering the productive age bracket at the same time as economies across the continent are diversifying and liberalising.
However, the backbone of economic development is the development of robust infrastructure – an area where the continent is severely lacking in terms of investment. Several projects are now underway to rectify this situation, primarily in the energy development sector, and a major share of support for the same has come from the consulting industry.
Some countries, such as Ghana, are developing their energy generation systems, either through thermal assets or through renewable means. Kenya has sought consulting support for two separate geothermal projects this year alone, while Tanzania is hoping to push through a liquefied natural gas project that has been in the works for nearly a decade.
A number of other countries have been ramping up their development projects – hiring consultants for the same – and Cameroon has become the latest country to join this list. Early last year, the government of Cameroon rolled out the Master Plan for Rural Electrification, with the specific objective of attaining universal power access in the country by 2035.
PRRTERS is a part of this macro-level strategy, and specifically involves the inclusion of between 1,000 and 1,200 rural communities from north Cameroon into the electricity grid, thereby providing access to nearly 160,000 additional people. The project has now secured a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
A portion of the IBRD funds have been earmarked to finance consulting support for the project, specifically regarding a feasibility study, which includes the development of a preliminary design, detailed analysis of costs, and the preparation of documents to be used in a bid for further expansion of the grid to other regions of Cameroon, specifically the North, Northwest, South, Southwest, and eastern area.
