Cameroon: Frequent blackouts in northern Cameroon plunge local communities, businesses into crisis.

Shotlist Cameroon - Recent 1. Various of tailor, sewing machine 2. SOUNDBITE (French) Sabo Sani, tailor (starting with shot 1): "I have a tailor workshop, but it's not up and running at the moment. Why isn't it working? Because we need electricity, but we don't have any. We only get electricity for maybe three or four hours a day." 3. Residents 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tatania Zouatom, hairdresser (partially overlaid with shot 5): "What the customer needs is very difficult, very difficult -- because you cannot do everything. You cannot wash the head, you cannot use the hair dryer, because there's no light. And we don't know how to do again, because this situation has been going on now around three months. With what is going on now, I cannot even work again. My business is stopped, and I have to check and look for another way to try to satisfy my customers." SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 5. Residents SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 6. High voltage tower 7. SOUNDBITE (French) July Nzatssa, fishmonger (ending with shot 8): "All our products are damaged. Just look at the state of the fish -- they're no longer presentable. Under these circumstances, we're losing a great deal. Some products simply become unsellable. There are goods that we're forced to set aside, a situation that has been going on for nearly three months. We're really disappointed." 8. Various of fish; chicken 9. Various of dam; bridge, traffic 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ahmadou Bivoung, power station director, ENEO Cameroon (partially overlaid with shot 11): "During 2021 and 2022, we first experienced the most critical deficit from this site. So actually, what we are facing is load shedding -- it is just because the Lagdo, due to water, cannot generate power at a high level. The level of water is too low, and we are managing to avoid a crack within this month of May." SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 11. Various of dam; river SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 12. Mountain, buildings; high voltage towers 13. SOUNDBITE (French) Steve Ndanga, official, Lagdo Dam (ending with shot 14): "Admittedly, the power station is over 40 years old, but I would like to reassure you that all four turbines are operational and capable of generating power at their rated capacity. Maintenance work is carried out on a regular basis. However, what is currently limiting production is the low water level." 14. Various of facilities; worker Storyline The prolonged power outages in northern Cameroon have triggered an economic and social crisis, where halted commercial activity and soaring household expenses are compounding daily losses for both residents and businesses. For Sabo Sani, a tailor and garment maker at the Yelwa market in Garoua, life has changed dramatically over the past few months. Due to recurring power cuts, he can no longer work properly, and customer orders have gone undelivered. "I have a tailor workshop, but it's not up and running at the moment. Why isn't it working? Because we need electricity, but we don't have any. We only get electricity for maybe three or four hours a day," he said. It is a harsh reality shared by all traders in this market and the surrounding areas. "What the customer needs is very difficult, very difficult -- because you cannot do everything. You cannot wash the head, you cannot use the hair dryer, because there's no light. And we don't know how to do again, because this situation has been going on now around three months. With what is going on now, I cannot even work again. My business is stopped, and I have to check and look for another way to try to satisfy my customers," said Tatania Zouatom, a hairdresser. "All our products are damaged. Just look at the state of the fish -- they're no longer presentable. Under these circumstances, we're losing a great deal. Some products simply become unsellable. There are goods that we're forced to set aside, a situation that has been going on for nearly three months. We're really disappo," said July Nzatssa, a local fishmonger. Despite the presence of the Lagdo Dam -- a key power generation facility in the region -- the situation has failed to improve. Standing 40 meters tall and 297 meters long, the dam was built between 1978 and 1984 with an installed capacity of 82 megawatts. It has long supplied electricity to three regions in northern Cameroon, while also providing flood control and irrigation. But in recent years, it has fallen short of 80 percent of its targets. According to ENEO Cameroon, a state-owned power company in Cameroon, which has cited the issue for years, the problem lies in low water levels. "During 2021 and 2022, we first experienced the most critical deficit from this site. So actually, what we are facing is load shedding -- it is just because the Lagdo, due to water, cannot generate power at a high level. The level of water is too low, and we are