Sonara’s seven-year reconstruction announcement raises questions of bluff

Seven years after the fire that ravaged Sonara, its managing director stepped up to the microphone and solemnly declared to the world’s media that the refinery would rise again on Monday, June 29, 2026. One would have expected at least a memorandum of understanding with a financial partner. Instead, it was a statement issued after a meeting of four ministers to assess reconstruction costs and financing methods, even before seeking partners on the market.

The chosen financing model is Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM), covering design, construction, financing and maintenance of the facilities.

If seven years after the Sonara fire the project has only reached this stage, how long will it take to find a partner who, through well-known Cameroonian methods, will come sign an agreement before turning to banks for the money? This is already observable with mining partners, unlike what happens elsewhere.

The shadow of SNH and Nathalie Moudiki

Looking at the timing, this communication comes a few days after the Cameroonian business leadership, through its president Célestin Tawamba, congratulated SNH on the new Kribi refinery under construction — a project steered brilliantly by Nathalie Moudiki. The Gecam president spoke in an international media outlet.

The stakes of appointments are therefore green

In reality, what happened yesterday was simply a communication intended to bluff the president of the republic, at the very moment he is in Switzerland reassessing the performance of those he appointed to accompany him and serve the people.

In its communication, Sonara included a phrase to touch Cameroonians by mentioning an hydrocracker unit that will refine Cameroonian oil. Yet this project was already underway before the fire and is already accounted for in the Kribi refinery.

Sabotage of the Kribi refinery

“When you see whistleblowers lurking in the shadows attacking certain personalities involved in projects, think again.

Since yesterday, Boris Bertolt has been multiplying incendiary posts against the SNH refinery project, with baseless claims aimed at tarnishing Nathalie Moudiki’s image. Why sabotage the Kribi refinery project on the very day Sonara makes its coming out? Yet at SNH, they salute the action of this historic company, Sonara.

Regarding Sonara’s rehabilitation, in 2020 a strong delegation from Russian giant Lukoil was received in Yaoundé to propose a reconstruction plan and installation of more modern equipment. The government gave no favourable follow-up.

Regime insiders favourable to imports via traders cite sovereignty reasons to justify rejecting potential partners. Yet the largest oil refinery in Africa, located in the second-largest African oil producer, is private. The Dangote refinery does not belong to the Nigerian state, yet it refines more than 60% of the oil from the country’s wells.

Why is the SNH (gas) model not applied to Sonara (oil)?

The large Lobito refinery in Angola is built by China, the Copperbelt refinery in Zambia is built by China, Uganda’s first oil refinery is built by Russians, and another is planned in Congo.

Cameroonians, pray to the Lord.