From Wood to Cement: The Pole Revolution Reshaping Cameroon’s Power Grid

In a decisive move to end the era of rotting wooden poles and chronic outages, Cameroon is accelerating a nationwide switch to concrete. On Friday, May 15, 2026, the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, toured the facilities of Cameroon Infrastructures Company 30 S.A. (CIC 30 S.A.) in Nkometou, a company now at the heart of a strategy to rebuild the country’s fragile electricity distribution network.

The Minister was flanked by the Prefect of Lékié, the Sub-prefect and Mayor of Obala, top officials from the newly formed Société Camerounaise d’Électricité (SOCADEL), representatives from the Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSEL), and local traditional authorities. Their presence underscored the visit’s significance: a signal of structural transformation in national energy policy.The delegation toured the plant’s key spaces, from raw material storage to the vibration and molding production chain, the quality control laboratory, and finished product stockpiles. Company executives detailed the process behind their reinforced and prestressed concrete poles, destined for electrification projects nationwide.

The scale of the challenge was laid bare by the Minister’s own figures. Cameroon’s distribution network relies on nearly 2 million wooden poles. A staggering 40% of them are defective, their decay causing the recurrent collapses that plunge neighborhoods into darkness.

Albert Kouinche, Chairman of CIC 30 S.A., claimed the company has produced over 100,000 poles since 2018. He announced the imminent commissioning of a modernized site in Garoua, while new factories in the North-West and South-West regions are nearly complete. The goal is national coverage to meet the grid’s growing demands.

The visit also unfolded against the backdrop of a seismic shift in the electricity sector. The transformation of the former utility ENEO into SOCADEL was formalized by presidential decree on May 4, 2026. New leadership was installed the next day, with an official handover on May 8 in Douala. SOCADEL’s presence at the Nkometou visit signaled the new company’s blueprint is immediately being put into action.

The shift from wood to concrete is one pillar of the broader « Energy Compact, » a framework designed to accelerate infrastructure modernization and ensure universal access to reliable power. By consolidating partnerships with national industrial players, the Ministry of Water and Energy is building a resilient supply chain capable of supporting current and future electricity producers.