Laying foundation of Kribi oil refinery
By Ahone Heidi in Limbe
Cameroon’s National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH), its subsidiary Tradex, and the Ariana/RCG consortium officially launched the CSTAR Kribi Refinery project with the laying of the foundation stone. This modular refinery, with an announced capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, will be built on a 250-hectare site in Lolabé, within the Kribi industrial-port zone.
Many Cameroonians, especially those of English expression, have express fears the Kribi refinery projects entails the relocation of SONARA, Cameroon’s National Refining Company, from Limbe in the South West to Kribi in the South region. They have further put into question the remarks of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute, in Buea on May 31 regarding the maintaining of SONARA in Limbe.
It is however not clear yet if this project to be commenced in Kribi to the tune of CFA161 billion to produce 250,000 tons of butiment per year, will operate as a replacement of the refinery currently installed in Limbe, which ought to benefit from the oil wells of Ndian, a neighboring Division in the same administrative unit.
PM Dion Ngute debunked the fears of possible transfer during a ruling CPDM party elite gathering in Buea ahead of the October Presidential Elections saying the relocation of SONARA was not technically possible. He made the assertion in the presence of former PM Mafani Musonge, South West Governor Okalia Bilai, SONARA Board Chair Dr Mrs Bertha Ndoh Bakata, Ministers Paul Tasong and Victor Mengot, Members of Parliament from the six divisions of the South West and other key local stakeholders.
“Honestly, but on the vigilance of the Head of State, SONARA will not exist. The objective of the company is to refine crude into light products. Since the destruction of the factory 6 years ago, SONARA has been there,” the Head of Government said.
He went on to note that despite the inefficiency of the current refinery, its staff had not been sent home in large numbers. This, he explained, was sustained by a price structure created by the government in the sale of fuel, where every litre of fuel bought has CFA47 directed to SONARA.
Dion Ngute said: “I’ve heard people say that they are going to create a refinery in Kribi. It’s not true. Technically, it’s not possible. SONARA was built by TOTAL, a French company and TOTAL built it in such a way that SONARA was importing crude from Nigeria and refining it. SONARA could not refine a litre of Cameroonian crude. But this time, they are going to redo SONARA. In such a way that the primary objective will be to refine Cameroonian crude.”
Is SONARA going, going, going?
He further stated that the relocation plan was delusional since Kribi was over 250 km by road from Limbe which is closer to the zone of extraction. “Anybody who tells you that it is going to be done in Kribi is lying,” Ngute had sworn.
Explaining that; “80% of the crude comes from the backwaters of Fako and Ndian. The transport cost will be enormous if you have to take it to Kribi. So technically, it is not possible,” Dion Ngute who himself hails from Ndian, stated.
The Kribi Refinery Project finally launched
The refinery’s estimated cost is 115 billion CFA francs. RCG Turnkey Solutions will lead the construction in partnership with Global Process Systems (GPS) and Norinco International. The work is expected to take 18 months, with commissioning set for June 2028. Nathalie Moudiki, CEO of CSTAR, stated at the ceremony that the initiative aligns with the presidential vision to position Cameroon as a regional hub for petroleum product supply.
The project also includes a fuel storage terminal for diesel, gasoline, Jet A1, kerosene, and heavy fuel oil. Its initial capacity will range from 250,000 to 300,000 cubic meters. This development comes as Cameroon continues to face challenges from the prolonged shutdown of Sonara, its national refinery. Sonara ceased all refining activity after a fire in May 2019, making Cameroon entirely dependent on imports of finished petroleum products, despite producing around 72,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Cameroon’s annual demand for petroleum products is estimated at 1.9 million metric tons. Its current storage capacity, approximately 270,000 cubic meters, falls significantly short of regulatory requirements. These regulations mandate security stocks for 30 days of consumption and commercial stocks for 15 days, requiring a target capacity of about 470,000 cubic meters.
Given this context, the CSTAR project offers a crucial alternative. Estimates suggest it could reduce fuel imports by 30%, leading to annual savings of nearly 400 billion CFA francs. Authorities also anticipate export revenues of 141 billion CFA francs, primarily from marine fuels. Socially, the project is expected to create 2,000 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs, along with skills transfer benefiting the local workforce.
The launch of the Kribi refinery demonstrates a clear intent to restore Cameroon’s national energy autonomy, which has been weakened since Sonara’s shutdown. While the project is a significant milestone, its success hinges on several factors. These include adhering to timelines and budgets, securing financial arrangements, and ensuring institutions can sustainably manage such infrastructure.
Without rigorous oversight, this new facility could risk the same fate as other large-scale industrial projects that were announced but remained incomplete. Therefore, a return to petroleum sovereignty will depend not only on technology or investment, but primarily on credible and consistent governance over time.
