Yaounde and Douala Residents resort to use of charcoal energy as Domestic Gas Shortage Hits the country.

Domestic gas shortage has hit Yaoundé, Douala and other parts of the country for over a month, with the “red cylinder” brand virtually unavailable at points of sale. Information gathered talks of alleged unpaid debt owed by the Société Camerounaise de Transformation Métallique (SCTM) to the Société Camerounaise des Dépôts Pétroliers (SCDP).

The debt accordingly has caused stagnation in supplies.

According to an anonymous source at the SCDP—the national body responsible for storing and distributing petroleum products—the agency has suspended deliveries to SCTM for more than two months. The reason is simple: a substantial debt the company has been carrying for some time. The result is a widespread scarcity of the brand on the market.

Reports say SCTM accounts for approximately 38% of the Cameroonian domestic gas market and remains the country’s leading distributor. Its sudden disappearance from store shelves  represents a significant gap in the national supply.

Talla George, a retailer in Yaoundé, confirms this.

“Domestic gas supplies have been disrupted for over a month. This has affected our business and our income,” he explains. Consumers are forced to exchange their cylinders for other available brands, paying a surcharge ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 francs depending on the cylinder size.

Use of Charcoal resurface

 Kye Christian, a household user who has relied on the 12.5-kilogram cylinder (priced at 6,500 francs) for the past two years, has been forced to switch to charcoal and firewood.

In the meantime, some vendors are taking advantage of the situation to dupe customers.

 Satia Claudia reports recently paying 15,000 francs for a refill—more than double the standard price.

“It puts a strain on our finances and daily lives,” she says.

It is hard not to see this as a structural issue that extends far beyond SCTM experts say.

When a player controlling over a third of the market falters, the entire domestic gas ecosystem wavers, and it is the lowest-income households that suffer the consequences first  Dr Ngungan Betrand an economic experts told Eco OUTLOOK.