Rehabilitation of SONARA : Steering Committee Begins Work

Following the fire disaster of 31 May, 2019, that gulped major parts of Cameroon’s National Oil Refining Company (SONARA) in Limbe, the Steering Committee for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction has begun work. Three Members of Government were in Limbe on September 15 2022 to participate in the first steering committee meeting to implement the restructuring/rehabilitation of SONARA. They were Louis Paul Motaze (Minister of Finance and chair of the Steering Committee), Gaston Eloundou Essomba (Minister of Water Ressources and Energy and Vice Chair of the Steering Committee), and Paul Tasong (Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development). The Government Ministers were among other technical members of the steering committee who deliberated behind closed doors in the SONARA conference room in the presence of SONARA General Manager, Jean Paul Simo Njonou.
The first session of the Steering Committee (COPIL) was dedicated to examine and validate the draft framework agreement for the restructuring of SONARA and the related action plan, the draft terms of reference relating to the recruitment of a renowned consulting firm to support COPIL in its missions. Their mission to SONARA was triggered by last April, 2022 high instructions from the Head of State, President Paul Biya, urging the rehabilitation/restructuring of SONARA as earlier proposed within the framework of an inter-ministerial committee to rehabilitate public and para-public sector enterprises of Cameroon. In the circumstance, it became incumbent on the inter-ministerial committee to restart the refinery in the final configur...