Cameroon has formalised new external financing totalling 111.6 billion Central African CFA francs (XAF), equivalent to approximately US$201 million, to modernise and reconfigure the drinking water distribution system serving the capital, Yaoundé. The financing agreements were signed on 13 February 2026 by Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey with three international lenders: Belgium’s ING Bank, Belgium’s Belfius Bank and Deutsche Bank Italy.
The funds will support three components of the Yaoundé Drinking Water Supply System Reconfiguration Project, which extends the Drinking Water Supply Project from the Sanaga River (Paepys). Completed and inaugurated in 2024, Paepys included the construction of a new water treatment plant at Batschenga, in the Centre region, with an initial treatment capacity of 300,000 cubic metres per day, designed to be expandable to 400,000 cubic metres.
According to the Ministry of Water and Energy, increased production alone has not resolved supply challenges in the capital. The existing Akomnyada plant currently produces around 100,000 cubic metres per day, while estimated demand is significantly higher. Although Paepys is expected to address the production deficit, authorities note that limitations in the current network layout prevent equitable distribution to all neighbourhoods, necessitating a reconfiguration of the system.
During the presentation of the 2026 state budget to the National Assembly, the Minister of Water and Energy outlined that the project aims to integrate an additional 285,000 cubic metres per day from Paepys into the urban network. The programme also targets 30,000 new household connections, raising access to piped drinking water in Greater Yaoundé, including Soa and Mbankomo, from 40% to 61%.
Further objectives include improving network efficiency from 50% to 71%, expanding storage capacity, and installing 525 kilometres of new transmission and distribution pipelines. Authorities say the initiative will contribute to improved access to basic services and support Cameroon’s efforts to advance Sustainable Development Goal 6. The agreements were signed as Yaoundé hosted the 23rd congress of the African Water and Sanitation Association, where participants highlighted persistent challenges to achieving universal access to water and sanitation across Africa by 2030.
