CPDM Crime Syndicate: Socadel ordered to intensify fight against electricity fraud ⁰

Cameroon’s new management team at the Cameroon Electricity Company (Socadel), installed on May 5, 2026 in Yaoundé, officially takes office with an immediate mandate: intensify the fight against electricity fraud and help restore a power sector facing deep structural difficulties.

The directive was issued by Minister of Water and Energy Gaston Eloundou Essomba during the launch of the new public operator, which is expected to take over from Eneo as part of the government’s broader renationalization and restructuring of the electricity sector.

At the head of the company, Oumarou Hamandjoda inherits a highly sensitive challenge involving technical, financial, and social issues.

For authorities, electricity fraud ranks among the most urgent priorities.

The minister said several actions had already been identified for the first 100 days of the new management team, highlighting the continuation of operations targeting electricity theft in order to improve sector revenues.

The priority forms part of a nationwide campaign launched in March 2026.

The government describes fraud as a major source of commercial losses, with annual revenue shortfalls estimated at more than CFA60 billion.

Authorities also link these practices to network deterioration and safety risks associated with illegal connections and meter tampering.

The fight against fraud, however, does not fully capture the broader difficulties facing Cameroon’s electricity sector.

The government justified the public takeover of Eneo as part of a wider restructuring effort aimed at correcting longstanding operational failures and restoring service quality.

Socadel’s new leadership will therefore be judged not only on its ability to reduce commercial losses, but also on concrete improvements in electricity supply and customer relations.

Source: Business in Cameroon