BY DOH JAMES SONKEY
Cameroon’s National Refining Company Ltd. better known by its French acronym as SONARA piloted by its General Manager, Jean Paul Simo Njonou is participating at the 8th edition of the International Exhibition for Small and Medium Size Enterprises and Partners of Yaoundé dubbed ‘Promote 2022’.
Talking to The SUN, SONARA Director of Communication, Public Relations, Translation and Interpretation, Ebong Pende Epiekesse Divine who led the company’s delegation to the nation’s capital on the occasion rejoiced, “We are satisfied that the public has understood us following some of the questions and worries raised in our stand here at PROMOTE. We were able to throw some light and when we go through our suggestion register, we really see that a good number of them are satisfied and have given us the conviction that they have SONARA at heart given that it is the backbone of the economy of Cameroon. We are all looking forward to the rehabilitation of the affected units.”
Promote 2022 visitors queuing up to get details on SONARA activities
He further explained that “This year like in the previous editions of PROMOTE, we have come first of all to explain to the public our activities and the strategic mission which the State of Cameroon assigned to SONARA since the 23rd of March 1973 notably, that of ensuring the supply of basic petroleum products on the local and the international markets. We have also used the 2022 edition of PROMOTE to tell the public that despite the fire incident of 31st of May 2019, SONARA is still doing well and this is largely thanks to the very special measures taken by the Head of State, President Paul Biya to whom we remain grateful. He authorised government to see into it that SONARA keeps on trading which has to do with the importation of basic petroleum products. This means that what we used to produce before the fire incident since the refinery is down, we now buy from abroad and put on the local market and we even supply to some parts of the CEMAC sub region.”
SONARA’s officials remind the public that before the fire incident, their company was refining less than 10% of crude oil that is produced in Cameroon and the rest came from Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, etc. Since it was therefore refining about 90% of crude oil that comes from outside, SONARA decided to go into the extension and modernisation project so that upon completion, it will be able to refine between 70% and 100% of crude oil coming from Cameroon. The advantages will be enormous as cost will be reduced in terms of transportation and delivery deadlines, etc.
On her part, the Public Relations Officer of SONARA, Ewene Armelle narrated to The SUN how excited she is at her first participation at PROMOTE, to discover innovations such as the erection of modern and magnificent stands by SONARA and other big institutions and the introduction by organizers of a car to carry people from the entrance right up to the site, among other advantages.