In 2023, Cameroon’s electricity consumption totaled about 8.3 TWh. Low-carbon sources supplied almost two-thirds, or 5.3 TWh, nearly all of it hydropower. Fossil fuels supplied the remaining 3 TWh, or just over a third, with gas accounting for about 2 TWh. Electricity consumption averaged only 296 kWh per person—less than 8% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial activity and household living standards, while limiting opportunities to electrify transport and other services. Expanding clean electricity would help meet these needs without increasing dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Cameroon?

Cameroon’s electricity consumption per person remains well below its historical peak, so the latest figures do not show sustained progress on this measure. In 2023, consumption was 56 kWh per person below the 2015 record of 352 kWh—about a 16% shortfall. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at 188 kWh per person, around 70 kWh, or 27%, below its 2006 record of 258 kWh. These comparisons do not establish whether total generation or consumption grew in the latest year, but they reveal a concerning failure to regain earlier per-person levels. Stronger growth in clean electricity is needed to support development and future demand.

Suggestions

Cameroon can expand its hydropower-based electricity system by accelerating solar deployment, assessing suitable wind locations and preparing a long-term nuclear electricity program. South Africa offers a useful African reference: the supplied figures show 20 TWh of solar generation, alongside 12 TWh each from wind and nuclear. Cameroon could learn from its experience developing all three technologies, while adapting projects to local needs. Brazil, another tropical region with substantial hydropower, provides further examples through its 88 TWh of solar and 110 TWh of wind generation. For nuclear development, France’s 376 TWh illustrates the scale of dependable low-carbon electricity that a sustained program can deliver. Practical priorities include clear procurement rules, investment in transmission and distribution, workforce training, and international partnerships for nuclear institutions and project development.

History

Cameroon’s low-carbon electricity history has largely been a story of hydropower expansion interrupted by setbacks. During the 1980s, the listed hydro increases totaled about 1 TWh, followed by further gains of 0.2 TWh in both 1997 and 1999. The early 2000s were uneven: hydropower fell by 0.3 TWh in 2002, recovered with gains totaling 0.7 TWh in 2003–2004, and slipped slightly in 2005. In 2006, hydro increased modestly and low-carbon biofuel generation rose by 0.6 TWh, although that biofuel increase was reversed the following year. Hydropower then gained 0.4 TWh in 2008 before declining by 0.2 TWh in 2009. Small gains in 2010–2011 were partly offset in 2012, followed by a substantial 0.7 TWh increase in 2017 and another 0.2 TWh in 2020. These additions are welcome, but the per-person figures underline the need for faster, sustained clean electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade