Cameroon Nachtigal Hydropower Project - Notice of Registration (Request for Inspection)

Jul 19, 2026

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Notice of registration issued by the Inspection Panel regarding a Request for Inspection of the Cameroon Nachtigal Hydropower Project and the Hydropower Development on the Sanaga River Technical Assistance Project. It summarizes the request timeline, including submission by confidential community requesters and authorization by additional signatories, and records the Panel’s registration date following admissibility due diligence. The notice details alleged environmental and social harms, outlines project financing and development objectives, and lists applicable World Bank safeguards triggered by the project’s Category A status.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Request timeline and representation

Allegations and impacts

The Project

Approval, financing, and implementation

Development objective and triggered policies

Project description and components

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized RAMANIE KUNANAYAGAM Chairperson The Inspection Panel July 25, 2022 IPN REQUEST 22/03 NOTICE OF REGISTRATION Request for Inspection Republic of Cameroon: Nachtigal Hydropower Project (P157734) and Hydropower Development on the Sanaga River Technical Assistance Project (P157733) Summary 1. On June 30, 2022, the Inspection Panel (the “Panel”) received a Request for Inspection (the“Request”) of the Cameroon Nachtigal Hydropower Project (P157734) and Hydropower Development on the Sanaga River Technical Assistance Project (P157733) [note: unless explicitly stated otherwise, these two projects are collectively referred to below as the “Projects”] . The Request was submitted by two community members (the “Requesters”) living in the project area in Cameroon, who asked the Panel to keep their identities confidential. On July 18, 2022, another 99 people from the community and from socio-professional organizations in the project area authorized a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) network — “IFI Synergy” — to represent them. The secretariat of the IFI Synergy network is a Cameroonian civil society organization called “Green Development Advocates”(GDA) . IFI Synergy/GDA also requested confidentiality for the additional 99 signatories. “Both ENDS” — a Dutch NGO working to empower civil society—supports the Request. 2. The Requesters claim that the construction of the Nachtigal Hydropower Project — a greenfield, 420 Megawatt (MW) run-of-river hydropower plant located on the Sanaga river approximately 65 km northeast of Yaoundé 1—has caused them harm. They allege that, since commencement of the Nachtigal dam construction in 2018, the communities and socioprofessional organizations living and working near the Project have suffered various environmental and social difficulties. These include a lack of meaningful consultation; inadequate resettlement measures; loss of income-generating activities for fisherfolk, sand miners, and fishmongers; untimely and inadequate compensation for land and crops; inaccessibility to agricultural land; inadequate housing; destruction of sacred sites; loss of medicinal plants, and environmental damage. They further allege that Project activities are aggravating social problems such as theft, juvenile delinquency, commercial sex work, and provoking marital conflicts and divorces in their community. 1 Project Appraisal Document (PAD), p. 9. 3. On May 9, 2022, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) received a similar request.2 4. The Panel acknowledged receipt of the Request on its website on July 8, 2022, in English and French. Following initial due diligence by the Panel and confirming that the Request meets the Panel’s admissibility criteria, I am notifying you that I have, on July 25, 2022, registered this Request. The Project 5. The Nachtigal Hydropower Project (P157734) was approved on July 19, 2018, for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) guarantees of up to US$ 300 million. The IFC is providing equity (US$ 70 million), a loan (US$ 152 million), and client risk management swaps (US$ 10 million) . The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is providing additional guarantees (US$ 262.5 million) . The total project cost is US$ 1,184 million, and multiple financial institutions—including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), Proparco, 3 FMO,4 CDC, 5 and DEG 6—have provided financing. The Project is implemented by the Nachtigal Hydropower Company (NHPC), which, according to the PAD, is owned by the Republic of Cameroon (30 percent), EDF International SAS (EDFI) 7 (40 percent), and the IFC (30 percent) . 8 The Project’s closing date is June 30, 2024, and the IBRD guarantees expire on June 30, 2039.9 The Project was 0 percent disbursed as of receipt of the Request. 6. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is “to in

FAQs

Who submitted the Request for Inspection for the Nachtigal Hydropower Project?

Two community members living in the project area submitted the request and asked to keep their identities confidential. Later, additional community and socio-professional organization signatories authorized the IFI Synergy NGO network to represent them.

What harms do the requesters allege from the Nachtigal Hydropower Project?

They allege inadequate consultation and resettlement, loss of income activities for fisherfolk and related groups, untimely or inadequate compensation, reduced access to agricultural land, housing inadequacy, destruction of sacred sites, loss of medicinal plants, environmental damage, and worsening social problems.

What is the project’s stated development objective and which World Bank policies are triggered?

The Project Development Objective is to increase availability of renewable energy power and leverage private finance. The notice lists multiple triggered World Bank policies covering environmental and social assessment, labor and working conditions, community health and safety, land acquisition and involuntary resettlement, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and dam safety.

Jul 19, 2026

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