The bill governing the electricity sector in Cameroon was presented in a plenary sitting of the House on Tuesday.
The Minister of Water and Energy, Michael Ngako Tomdio is expected to defend the bill governing the electricity sector in Cameroon in the Production and Trade Committee of the National Assembly beginning 11: a.m. today, November 16, 2011. The bill was presented during a plenary sitting of the House, Tuesday, November 15, presided at by the First Vice President of the National Assembly, Hon. Hilarion Etong.
The bill has come to the National Assembly for the second reading, following its adoption during the extraordinary session of the House from April 6 to 9, 2011. The revision of the April bill is based on the need to foster the development of a real heavy industry in the electricity sector, ensuring better legal security as well as an appropriate regulatory system. “The enactment of the law passed by the National Assembly was stalled following objections raised by the World Bank right from the moment the bill was tabled before the House,” the explanatory statement to the bill reads. Government and the World Bank then had negotiations in August 2011. “It was realised that the adjustments suggested by the World Bank did not call into question the fundamental options of the law and the various investment projects planned in the electricity sector remain on course,” government explains in the statement.
Government further states that the bill containing adjustments, is intended to radically revamp Law n° 98/22 of 24 December 1998 governing the electricity sector, which contains many shortcomings in the face of high demand. “The current legal framework does not encourage or attract concrete investment opportunities,” the explanatory statement said and added, “Some requirements relating to the scale of industrial projects and their strategic importance to the national economy warrant some adjustments to the laws in force.”
The bill governing the electricity sector in Cameroon is the third presented during the ongoing November session of the National Assembly that started on November 1. Members of the Finance and Budget Committee on Monday, November 14 examined the settlement bill for the 2010 financial year. Those of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Saturday, November 12 examined the bill to authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the African Union Convention on preventing and combating corruption adopted in Maputo, Mozambique on July 11, 2003. The bill on the 2012 finance law is still awaited.
