Canada and Cameroon Explore Cooperation on Billion-Dollar Minkouma Dam

On 12 September 2025, a Canadian delegation led by the Embassy of Canada in Yaounde and Invest Quebec held a meeting with Minkouma Energy Company with a view toward potential cooperation on the Minkouma Hydroelectric Power Plant (#HPP). The Canadian side expressed interest in various aspects of the projects, including financing, construction, project management and environmental and socio-economic impact assessment (#ESIA).

The Minkouma dan is situated on the Sanaga River, some 100 kilometers north-east of Yaounde. Based on a hydropotential survey carried on the Sanaga River, it is believed that it can accommodate up to a dozen #HPP, making it the prime power source of Cameroun. Cameroon already has the Edea, Song-Loulou and Nachtigal dams in operation and is currently completing the 500-MW Kikot dam.

Based on preliminary studies, the Minkouma Dam has a capacity up to 300 MW and its cost is estimated at FCFA 584 billion (€890M). The latest update on the project is that studies and financing modalities are targeted for completion by the end of 2026, with the kick-off of construction scheduled shortly afterward.

The National Development Plan (#NDP) of Cameroon targets to increase the installed capacity to 5 GW by 2030, by favoring the green #EnergyTransition. Earlier in May 2025, the Minkouma Energy Company floated an international expression of interest (EOI) for the said project under a Public-Private Partnership (#PPP) framework.