New Refinery Project Launched in Kribi as SONARA Reconstruction Stalls

The Cameroon government laid the foundation stone for a new integrated modern oil refinery and strategic petroleum reserve depot in Kribi, South Region, this Thursday, July 17.

The ceremony, led by Nathalie Mokidi, representative of the Administrator Director General of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), was attended by investment partners, administrative officials, and traditional authorities.

The project has sparked debate about the potential abandonment of the National Oil Refinery (SONARA) in Limbe, South West Region, which has been non-operational since a devastating fire in 2019.

Cameroon has relied on SONARA, the country’s sole refinery, since it was constructed by French company Total Energies.

However, a fire on May 31, 2019, destroyed four of SONARA’s 13 production units and partially damaged three others, burning over 10,000 cubic meters (10 million liters) of crude oil, according to official information.

Since then, SONARA has ceased refining activities and shifted to trading refined oil, operating at a loss and surviving on government subsidies.

To fund SONARA’s operations, the government introduced a special duty of 47 CFA francs per liter of fuel sold in Cameroon, Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute revealed.

This ensured no workers were laid off or left unpaid, despite the financial strain.

The government has repeatedly promised to rebuild SONARA at an estimated cost of 250 billion CFA francs, but progress has been slow due to funding constraints.

On February 27, 2025, SONARA’s Director General, Harouna Bako, announced that a contract for pre-project studies for the refinery’s reconstruction had been signed.

SONARA was designed to refine Nigerian crude, as it could not process Cameroon’s heavier crude.

Consequently, Cameroon has been importing crude for refining while exporting its own.

The Kribi refinery project has raised concerns about SONARA’s future.

Earlier this year, at a CPDM elites’ meeting in Buea, the Prime Minister dismissed rumors of a new refinery in Kribi, citing high costs of transporting crude to the coastal city.

However, the foundation stone ceremony in Kribi contradicts his assurances, fueling speculation that the government may prioritize the new facility over SONARA’s rehabilitation.

The Kribi refinery is envisioned to address Cameroon’s reliance on imported refined products.