We’ve just returned from the field to evaluate the effectiveness of the grievance mechanism put in place during the creation of the Lon Pangar Hydroelectric Dam. This mission sponsored under the IFI Synergy Group ( a platform of Cameroon civil society organisation which ensures that the rights of indigenous people and local communities are respected in project financed by large international financial institutions such as the World Bank). This was a result of the impact report of the Lompangar Hydroelectric Dam years after completion produced by ACES Cameroon in 2024.

What we found was a system completely non-functional and abandoned.
Years after completion, the negative impacts are only accelerating:
☑️ No access to clean water (90% of boreholes are broken and none functional, creating water scarecity)
☑️ Increased water-borne diseases.
☑️ Damaged soil and deepening poverty
☑️submerge agricultural lands
☑️population influx increasing completion for the already scares resources
☑️New emerging diseases
☑️Increase deforestation and pressure on wildlife resources

The list is long, and this shows a crushing lack of a sustainability plan to mitigate the dam impacts.
This is the unacceptable reality when energy projects prioritize construction over community and long-term well-being. The era of such destructive mega-dams must end.
We must advocate for projects that put communities at the core of implementation.
It’s time to learn from these mistakes.