- The senior divisional officer of Cameroon’s Vina division in Adamaoua presided over a meeting to finalise compensation for residents of 38 villages impacted by the Bini à Warak dam project.
- The Bini à Warak dam is intended to supplement the ageing Lagdo dam, which requires 100 billion CFA francs for rehabilitation.
The senior divisional officer of Cameroon’s Vina division in Adamaoua presided over a meeting to finalise compensation for residents of 38 villages impacted by the Bini à Warak dam project. The project is a 75 MW hydroelectric initiative. This development signals renewed hope for construction to resume after being suspended since 2018, according to the state-owned daily Cameroon Tribune, on June 12, 2025.
Construction of the Bini à Warak dam, launched in 2017 as part of a wave of major infrastructure projects initiated in 2012, was halted after just one year. At the time of suspension, work had progressed to site setup, excavation of the river’s left bank for the structure, and the opening of access roads.
The Chinese construction firm Sinohydro pre-financed this initial phase, with the government estimating the cost at approximately 20 billion CFA francs. The early suspension was officially attributed to the Cameroonian state’s failure to pay an insurance premium, a prerequisite for unlocking a 182 billion CFA franc loan from the Chinese bank ICBC.
In November 2019, despite Cameroon meeting all disbursement conditions, totalling 23 billion CFA francs, ICBC abruptly suspended funding, citing Cameroon’s default with another bank as the reason.
However, negotiations between the parties to finalise the financing resumed, as announced by Water and Energy Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba at a press conference in Yaoundé on March 31, 2022. Meanwhile, Sinohydro had demobilised 75 per cent of its workforce from the site as of 2019 and stated its intention in 2022 to withdraw its equipment.
The Bini à Warak dam is intended to supplement the ageing Lagdo dam, which requires 100 billion CFA francs for rehabilitation. Lagdo’s 72 MW installed capacity is frequently halved due to reservoir sedimentation, leading to common power outages in the Adamaoua, North, and Far North regions.
Following significant investments in thermal power plants, the Cameroonian government and utility Eneo installed 30 MW of solar power capacity in this region to alleviate disruptions affecting both residents and businesses.