BRI Stories | China-built hydroelectric project creates power, job opportunities for Cameroonians

YAOUNDE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Constructed by Sinohydro, Memve'ele Hydroelectric Power Station, a 211-megawatt hydroelectric power station in the Ntem Valley locality in Cameroon's South Region was officially handed over to Cameroonian authorities for operation in October 2024.

Cameroon has abundant water resources. However, its hydro-power utilization is inadequate, presenting a bottleneck for national development in terms of electricity shortage. The construction of the hydroelectric power station has significantly alleviated Cameroon's power shortage.

Ntam Emmanuel Tooh, a local engineer at the Memve'ele Hydroelectric Power Station, has worked side by side with Chinese colleagues for the past eleven years. He has witnessed how the project was built from blueprint.

"Chinese enterprises have cooperated well with us and shared technology without reservation, which has allowed me to truly embark on a professional career," Ntam said.

As of mid-2024, the Memve'ele project has created more than 3,000 jobs and trained nearly 1,500 local workers and managers across various trades. The Memve'ele Hydroelectric Power Station now supplies electricity to Cameroon's capital Yaounde and other areas in the country. As of the first half of 2025, the total power generation of the hydroelectric power station exceeded 3.85 billion kilowatt-hours, while the current annual output reaches one billion kilowatt-hours.