At the Star Land Hotel in Yaounde on Friday, October 16, 2026, Cameroon Electricity Corporation – SOCADEL and Cameroon Telecommunications – CAMTEL signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding – MoU to share their networks and infrastructure.
The historic partnership marks a major shift for the two state-owned giants, which historically operated independently. By coordinating their assets, the companies aim to streamline utility expansion, lower operational costs, and significantly upgrade power and telecommunications services nationwide.
For years, utility providers in Cameroon independently erected separate poles and laid duplicate cables along public roads. This isolated approach frequently led to unnecessary expenditure and cluttered urban landscapes across major cities.
Under the new agreement, both institutions will pool their structural resources, transforming standard electricity distribution poles into dual-purpose digital pathways designed to carry both optical fibre cables and high-speed power lines.
The synergy combines the distinct operational strengths of each public enterprise to maximize coverage and reliability. CAMTEL will contribute its expansive national optical fibre network, telecommunications facilities, and technical expertise to the initiative. In turn, SOCADEL will grant access to its vast electricity infrastructure, including utility poles, rights-of-way, and established access routes across the national territory.
By sharing physical infrastructure, the collaboration is set to expand reliable high-speed internet and electricity to underserved regions while drastically cutting capital deployment costs.
For CAMTEL, leveraging SOCADEL’s power grid provides a faster pathway to extend internet reach. For SOCADEL, the partnership strengthens connectivity between its administrative offices and operational hubs, supporting broader efforts to modernize the nation’s electrical grid.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, SOCADEL General Manager Oumarou Hamandjoda emphasized that the joint effort aligns directly with the national vision as articulated by Head of State, Paul Biya. The Manager noted that signing the MoU officially commits experts from both sides to work swiftly, expressing optimism that pilot projects will begin soon following the conclusion of detailed technical frameworks.
Highlighting the economic and operational benefits of the deal, CAMTEL General Manager Judith Yah Sunday épouse Achidi noted that pooling resources directly addresses service quality and cost management. She explained that combining their complementary networks opens new avenues for service delivery while eliminating redundant infrastructure spending in heavily populated urban corridors.
Moving forward, joint technical, legal, and economic committees will conduct comprehensive studies to determine the practical implementation details of the network rollout.
The evaluations will establish regulatory compliance, ensure public safety standards, and outline structural responsibilities before a definitive framework agreement is signed to launch full operations across designated pilot sites.
