(Business in Cameroon) – During a press conference held on November 15, 2024 in Douala, Eneo, exclusive concessionaire for electricity distribution in Cameroon, clarified the harmonization of regulated tariffs for prepaid and postpaid consumption modes , in force since November 1, 2024.
“Before, Eneo gave prepaid consumers the opportunity to purchase units from 0 to 150 kwh at 50 FCFA. But several customers showed that they consumed 220 kWh or more within the same month. By assigning them from 1is last November to a consumption bracket based on their average consumption, we realize that they are not customers of the social bracket (0-110 kWh), but rather of the bracket of 111 or even 400 kWh »explained Ebenezer Tedjouong, senior electricity sales manager at Eneo.
As a result, these customers are billed at 79 FCFA per kWh, VAT included, if they consume more than 220 kWh, specifies Eneo. Thanks to this pricing, the company indicates that 92% of the 800,000 prepaid subscribers will see their consumption stabilize or decrease. These clarifications from Eneo come as consumer associations protest against this new price list, considered too high, and demand the reinstatement of the old prices.
On November 14, around ten members of the Cameroon Consumer Foundation (Focaco) attempted to demonstrate in Douala to demand “that Eneo and the Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (Arsel) charge 50 FCFA per kWh and not 79 FCFA to households and subscribers with precarious incomes “, declared Alphonse Abena, the president of Focaco.
The new tariffs are organized by consumption brackets, with prices differentiated according to the level of kWh consumed. For residents, the price bands are as follows: 0-110 kWh: 50 F/kWh (without VAT), 111-220 kWh: 79 F/kWh (without VAT) and 221-400 kWh: 94 F/kWh (with VAT). Above 400 kWh: 99 F/kWh (with VAT).
This new pricing resulting from a requirement from Arsel. In 2022, the regulator noted disparities between the prices applied to prepaid and postpaid customers, particularly with regard to billing brackets, the tariff system and the average unit cost per kWh. The electricity distribution concessionaire was therefore asked to align the prepayment price scale with that in force since 2012.
Frédéric Nonos
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