Eneo Crisis: incessant blackouts in Yaoundé ⁰

Power cuts are becoming a daily constraint in Yaoundé, with electricity distributor Eneo attributing the deterioration in supply to a surge in vandalism and theft targeting its distribution infrastructure in the capital and surrounding areas.

In a Feb. 5 statement, Eneo said that “more than a dozen electrical substations have been vandalized” in recent weeks across several neighborhoods of Yaoundé, including Golf, Ngoa-Ekellé, Messa, Mokolo, Melen, Etoug-Ebe, and Mvolyé. The company said the attacks have targeted equipment considered critical to network operations, making repairs more complex and extending restoration times.

The incidents come against a backdrop of frequent power outages and ongoing tensions between the operator and customers. The impact is spreading across the urban economy, slowing commercial activity and affecting small businesses, health facilities, and schools. Eneo said the acts “seriously undermine the continuity of public electricity service” and place additional strain on technical teams already operating under difficult field conditions.

In response, the company said it has launched an investigation with the support of the relevant authorities to “determine responsibility and identify all those involved, whether internal or external.” The statement suggests that possible internal complicity is not being ruled out, raising broader questions about internal controls and the security of field operations.

Eneo said the problem is not new. As early as April 2025, the utility warned of a rise in sabotage and fraudulent manipulation of the network. More recently, insulators were stolen from the line linking Nkolafamba to Nkolmeyang, on the outskirts of Yaoundé.

In the South region, Eneo said “more than 3,000 insulators” have been stolen since 2022 across several localities in the Dja-et-Lobo department. The financial impact is described as significant. Jean Jacques Ntock, Eneo’s technical delegate in the South, said each incident requires “lengthy, costly reconstruction work,” citing nearly CFA300 million spent on network rehabilitation in Dja-et-Lobo in 2025 alone. He said those funds could otherwise have been used to extend electricity access to new areas.

According to Eneo, stolen equipment is often reused in illegal networks, worsening technical and commercial losses. For a company undergoing renationalization by the state, such practices are presented as an avoidable cause of prolonged outages, alongside other factors such as generation shortfalls, transmission line incidents, and planned maintenance.

The situation is further complicated by financial constraints. Eneo said its debt stood at about CFA800 billion at the end of 2024, largely owed to suppliers, limiting its capacity to invest in securing and modernizing the network.

With power interruptions increasingly normalized in the capital, the utility is calling for greater protection of electricity infrastructure. “Preserving the power network is a collective responsibility, in the interest of the public good,” Eneo said, warning that without civic engagement, vigilance, and cooperation from residents, load shedding could become a lasting feature in Yaoundé.

Source: Sbbc