Launching Ceremony of the Agreement signed between Eneo and SIC for the Modernization and Safeguarding of electrical installations in SIC buildings

SPEECH BY THE GENERAL MANAGER

Douala, Makepe, 7 February 201

The Government Delegate to the Douala City Council;

The SDO of Douala 5;

The Mayor of Douala 5;

Honourable Members of Parliament and Municipal Councillors;

The General Manager of SIC;

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, I am particularly delighted by this meeting here in the Camp SIC Makepe premises. We are launching the implementation of an agreement signed with SIC for the modernization and safeguarding of electrical installations in its houses.

I would particularly like to thank the General Manager of SIC who is here with us for his kind words. I also hail him for the pragmatism that he and his team have shown in soliciting us to jointly address issues that have to do with the protection of life and the quality of service in SIC houses.

Historic operator of the electricity sector in Cameroon and a catalyst for economic growth, Eneo aims to provide its customers with reliable energy and quality service while being a model of governance in Africa.

Eneo strives to provide its customers with reliable energy that meets their expectations and at an affordable price.

To this end, our challenges are many and are in line with the renewed commitments and those made in the 3rd amendment to our Concession Agreement signed with the State in November 2018.

These commitments comprise:

• Maintenance of the facilities conceded by the State, notably Songloulou, Edéa and Lagdo. We are currently working to increase the lifespan of the Songloulou hydroelectric dam by more than 30 years. We are also diversifying generation sources by introducing solar into the energy mix. After the successful pilot experiment at Djoum in the South, we will transform all of our remote plants into hybrid plants;
• Facilitating access of new operators to generation;
• balance in energy demand and supply;
• increase in the rate of access to electricity;
• improvement of the quality of service;
• improvement in safety;
• popularization of smart meters;
• Modernization of our operating system.

Our agreement with SIC is in line with the respect of these commitments at least on four points: quality of service, safety, modernization of our operating system and popularization of smart meters, be it in post-paid or in prepaid mode.

The main goals of the agreement signed with SIC comprise:

• migration to the prepaid metering system of electricity consumption of customers in SIC houses
• installation of prepaid meters when making connections to new houses in apartments blocks
• rehabilitation of electrical installations of buildings by raising them to the new and safer standards
• supporting SIC in the alignment of its new housing projects to new electrical installations standards

Speaking specifically about the choice of prepaid meters for electricity metering in SIC houses, I must say that it is one of a series of solutions retained in the transformation process of our company and the electrical service.

The digital revolution is transforming the life of companies. Accelerating the changes at Eneo by leveraging the promise of technology has impacted various aspects of the company's business and the experience of our customers. Smart meters in prepaid mode offer customers a strong power of control over their electrical consumption, their budget, and especially make life easier for them.

During the initial pilot phase of prepaid-meter implementation in the Douala South area (New-Bell), 1000 meters were installed. This made it possible to determine the conditions for the success of this new mode of consumption and metering.

The agreement between Eneo and the SIC, as well as the launch of a meter migration operation in the area of Bonapriso recently will accelerate the implementation of the Eneo prepaid operation and thus pave the way for its extension.

What is important to remember is that once the prepaid meter is installed, power consumption is like for telephones. Before you consume, you must first refill your account, a situation that will allow citizens to better save energy.

For example, if a person purchases a 100 KWh card, he will have control his own consumption. Upon leaving his home, he can turn it off if he wants, and disconnect power supply.

This method of metering also addresses the problem of the joint bill, especially since each household now has a unit that allows it to manage its electricity consumption for a group living in the same compound or building.

The benefits of prepaid meters include, among others:

• No Eneo meter-readers visiting your home
• No disconnections for unpaid bills
• No Reconnection fees
• No consumption deposits
• Simplified subscription
• Refill at will
• Immediate reconnection after refill
• No stress of Payment Deadline
• No monthly bills or challenging of reading
• No removal of meter after every change of tenant
• Independence in consumption management
• Better anticipation: you only pay for what you want to consume

Mr General Manager, Dear residents of SIC,

As I said earlier, the challenges of the sector are numerous. In Eneo, the Board of Directors approved an investment budget of CFAF 47.3 billion for 2019, up by 30% compared to 2018. CFAF 26.2 billion, more than half of this amount, is allocated to renewal, reinforcement, safety and extension of electricity distribution networks.

Step-by-step, in synergy with all the stakeholders and with your support, we will get there.

Thank you for your kind attention.