Cameroon launches bid for 60 000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas
The Cameroonian market for domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is entering a new phase with the launch, on September 1, 2026, of a tender for 60,000 metric tonnes. The call for bids, signed by Okie Johnson Ndoh, Chair of the ad hoc Commission for Petroleum Product Imports (CIPP), divides the volume into two separate lots of 35,000 and 25,000 tonnes. Official sources state that the procurement aims to meet the consumption needs of the 2026 fiscal year.
Candidate dossiers are available for collection at the headquarters of the Hydrocarbon Price Stabilization Fund (CSPH), located at the Warda crossroads in Yaoundé. The evaluation and awarding of bids will take place on September 8 at noon in the same venue. At present, neither the projected market value, the origin of the products, nor the transport arrangements have been disclosed. These details will emerge from the technical assessment of the proposals.
An order equivalent to nearly five months of imports
When compared to recent trade flows, the scale of this procurement is substantial. According to the 2025 Economic Report by the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Territorial Development, which draws on data from the General Directorate of Customs, Cameroon imported 150,420 tonnes of liquefied butane last year, up from 145,163 tonnes in 2024. This represents a 3.6% year-on-year increase, reflecting a demand driven by urbanization and the shift away from wood-based energy sources.
Meanwhile, the customs bill decreased from 59.38 billion to 56.16 billion FCFA, a 5.4% drop attributed to lower average import prices. Within this context, the 60,000 tonnes sought through the tender account for 39.9% of 2025 imports—enough to cover nearly five months of average monthly consumption. In practical terms, this volume translates to approximately 4.8 million 12.5 kg cylinders. Based on last year’s average customs value of around 373,348 FCFA per tonne, the theoretical value of this procurement would reach 22.4 billion FCFA, though the final price will hinge on the specifications and delivery terms negotiated.
The role of local production at Bipaga
Cameroon does produce LPG domestically through the Bipaga gas processing plant in the South region, operational since 2018. The 2023 annual report of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) records 34,699 tonnes produced that year, up from 28,677 tonnes in 2022—a 21% increase and the facility’s second-best performance since its inception. However, these volumes remain insufficient to meet domestic demand.
In July 2026, the SNH confirmed that Bipaga is expected to maintain an annual production of around 30,000 tonnes of LPG, despite the shutdown of the floating production unit Hilli Episeyo. This output falls far short of the 150,420 tonnes imported in 2025. The gap underscores the country’s vulnerability to external shocks, whether logistical or price-related, and explains the CSPH’s frequent tender calls to secure supplies.
Bolstering energy security and price stability
The September 1 tender serves a dual purpose. First, it aims to prevent any risk of supply shortages in the final quarter of 2026, a critical period as LPG remains the primary urban domestic fuel in Cameroon. Second, authorities are seeking to mitigate the fiscal burden linked to the implicit subsidy on cylinder prices—a long-standing challenge managed through the CSPH’s stabilization mechanism.
The full implications of this tender—final cost, delivery timeline, impact on strategic reserves—will only become clear after the September 8 adjudication. The selection of bidders will also reveal whether the government favors established operators in Cameroon or opens opportunities to new international traders.
