Norwegian Firm Inrigo to Upgrade Japoma Water Purification Plant in Cameroon

Inrigo is a Norwegian company specialized in water and energy solutions and has been selected to undertake the upgrade of the Japoma water purification plant in Douala, Cameroon. The water plant is owned and operated by Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (Camwater).

The project is financed by the Norwegian Export Credit Bank, Eksport Finance (Eksfin), to the tune of FCFA 49 billion (EUR 74.8 million). On 17 October 2024, Cameroon President Paul Biya authorized the Ministrer of Finance Almine Mey to sign the financing agreement with the export credit bank.

Originally built in 1953, the Japoma water purification plat has a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day and was designed to meet the needs up to the year 2000. Now, in 2024, it is clearly become obsolete and is in urgent for a rehabilitation and modernization.

After the upgrade, the Japoma plant will have a capacity will increase to 68,000 cubic meters daily. In 2017, Inrigo delivered the two water purification stations at Meyomessala and Nkongsambas for a total capacity of 18,000 cubic meters per day. At that time, the project cost a total of FCFA 37.8 billion.

Works are expected to commence before the end of 2024 and is projected to last about two years. The nearly 5-million population in the city of Douala consumes some 371,400 cubic meters of water every day. Camwater has a masterplan to increase water supply by 65% by 2026.