Takeover offer for the company, financial reorganization, tense social climate and improvement in the quality of service… Amine Homman, who was installed on June 29, will not have a grace period.
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On June 26, the Board of Directors of Eneo Cameroon, meeting in extraordinary session, appointed Amine Homman Ludiye as the new Managing Director. His appointment follows Patrick Eeckelers’ decision to step down after just one year at the helm of the company. The former CEO, without even waiting for the end of the council, hastened to leave the country. A meaningful gesture. According to internal sources, he never got rid of the film of his arrest on August 17, 2022. Patrick Eeckelers had been brutally arrested by police at the restaurant of the Hilton hotel in Yaoundé. Heared for hours and then released, the perpetrators of this arrest, considered arbitrary, were never prosecuted. His successor, appointed by Actis, the majority shareholder, faces several challenges.
Redemption of shares
Amine Homman Ludiye, hitherto Deputy CEO in charge of Production, will have to play an important role in the ongoing transition within the company. The State of Cameroon intends to buy the shares of the majority shareholder Actis which holds 51% of the capital of the energy company. But in this transaction, the company must show its credentials. The government is already looking for a firm to assess the value of Actis shares. ” Following Actis’ stated desire to withdraw from Eneo’s shareholding, the option presented to the technical and financial partners is to first assess the value of Actis’ shares, by a international firm of proven expertise “, has recently made known the Minister of Water and Energy. In this takeover process, one of the challenges concerns the State’s debt vis-à-vis Eneo. The parties are not unanimous on its value. The new CEO will therefore have to polish the image of the structure so that it is sold at its fair price. And in the new geography of capital, it will also be necessary to take into account the minority shareholder, the staff of Eneo who hold 5% of the capital of the company. They complain of never having received the dividends from their shares held by GIC-P ENEO. “In any case, the workers strongly wish that their representative be fully involved in this process while hoping that their interests will be preserved and that the said negotiations will find a rapid and happy outcome. declared Alexis Makembe from the group of trade union organizations present within Eneo on 1is May 2023.
Climat social
The Moroccan Amine Homan will also have to contribute to the appeasement of the climate which reigns within the company. More than 500 Eneo workers received medals of honor for work last year in addition to a new collective agreement raising wages, but demands remain. The Human Resources Department is accused of not having respected the principle of regional balance in the latest recruitments. Other claims relate in particular to the health insurance contract. To all these files, it is necessary to add the prospects of the sector in order to improve the quality of the service of the households and the industries with the hydroelectric power station of Nachtigal whose first megawatts are expected at the end of this year.
service quality
The Cameroonian electricity system is facing an increase in demand combined with a drop in production – especially during low water periods. Consequently, the balance between supply and demand is disrupted, leading to modulations and rationing. In addition, compared to last year – for example – the ever-increasing demand from the public sector has increased by around 6%; in the same direction, that of Alucam is up by 10% and the other companies, according to “The dashboard of the Cameroonian economy”, published by Gicam, have not stopped complaining of the shortcomings of the ‘electric energy. At the same time, in the dynamics of access to electricity in 2023/2024, Eneo must connect 163,000 families in underserved areas. The newly promoted who joined the Actis group in 2021 knows these problems well. Moreover, its experience of nearly 30 years in the field of electricity pleads in its favor. Indeed the energy engineer, a graduate of the Polytechnic School of the University of Nantes (1993) was Managing Director of Engie (renewable energies, energy infrastructures and energy services) for Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, according to his biography communicated by Eneo. In addition, Amine Homman Ludiye holds a professional master’s degree in innovation and new technologies from the Ecole Polytechnique de Paris.
