In 2023, Cameroon consumed about 8.3 TWh of electricity. Low-carbon sources supplied almost two-thirds of this total, at 5.3 TWh, almost entirely from hydropower. Fossil fuels supplied just over a third, at 3 TWh, including about 2 TWh from gas. Electricity consumption averaged only 296 kWh per person—less than one-twelfth of the global average of 3,794 kWh. Such limited electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial development and access to reliable digital services. Expanding clean electricity would support these needs while limiting the air pollution and climate impacts associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Cameroon?

Cameroon’s latest figures show a concerning decline in electricity consumption per person relative to its historical peak, rather than sustained growth. The 2023 total of 296 kWh per person was 56 kWh, or about 16%, below the record of 352 kWh set in 2015. Low-carbon electricity generation per person was also well below its peak: about 188 kWh in 2023 compared with 258 kWh in 2006—a decline of roughly 70 kWh, or 27%. These comparisons do not establish whether total national generation declined, but they show that electricity provision per person has not maintained earlier highs. Stronger growth in clean electricity is needed to support electrification and rising demand from industry, digital services and AI.

Suggestions

Cameroon can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar alongside its established hydropower supply, developing wind where local conditions are suitable, and considering nuclear electricity through long-term planning and international partnerships. South Africa provides a relevant African reference, generating about 20 TWh from solar, 12 TWh from wind and 12 TWh from nuclear in the supplied data. Brazil, another tropical region with substantial hydropower, demonstrates how solar and wind can broaden a clean electricity mix, producing about 85 TWh and 111 TWh respectively. For nuclear development, Cameroon could learn from South Africa’s operating experience and from France, whose nuclear generation reaches about 379 TWh. These examples offer lessons rather than directly transferable targets; investment in electricity networks, workforce training and reliable project delivery would help Cameroon translate them into greater clean electricity availability.

History

Cameroon’s low-carbon electricity history has been dominated by hydropower, with growth occurring in uneven steps. During the 1980s, the listed annual increases added about 1 TWh, followed by two gains of 0.2 TWh in the late 1990s. The early 2000s brought fluctuations: hydropower fell by 0.3 TWh in 2002, recovered by the same amount in 2003 and rose another 0.4 TWh in 2004, before a small decline in 2005. A temporary 0.6 TWh increase in low-carbon biofuel electricity in 2006 was reversed in 2007. Hydropower continued to fluctuate through 2012, including a 0.4 TWh gain in 2008 and smaller subsequent increases and declines. A substantial 0.7 TWh increase in 2017 and another 0.2 TWh in 2020 were encouraging, but the broader record highlights the need for more sustained growth and a wider clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade