Business in Cameroon | Cameroon’s Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, officially opened the new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) filling center in Bamenda last May 9. The facility was financed with CFA6 billion by the Hydrocarbons Price Stabilization Fund (CSPH) and took 30 months to build on a 6-hectare site.
With a filling capacity of 200 metric tons, the new center features 12 filling posts that can process between 600 and 650 gas bottles per hour. Its main goal is to cut the cost of household gas, which had been higher in Bamenda due to the expense of transporting LPG from Bafoussam, a neighboring city in the West region.
“From now on, a 12.5 kg gas bottle that used to cost CFA8,000 will be sold for CFA6,500 here in Bamenda, the official price set by the government,” said Minister Essomba. This price drop represents a reduction of 18.75% compared to what households had been paying in the area.
The facility is expected to directly create around 1,000 jobs and also support environmental protection efforts by encouraging the use of gas instead of firewood. Minister Essomba called on local residents to embrace LPG as a cleaner, safer alternative, and urged government officials to prevent fraudulent practices that could harm households.
The new plant should also help ease the national shortage in domestic gas supply. Despite rising demand, Cameroon continues to rely heavily on imports to meet consumption. According to the Cameroon Petroleum Depots Company (SCDP), LPG supply in the country grew from 35,000 tons in 2000 to 170,000 tons in 2021. Still, roughly 80% of the gas consumed by households is imported each year.