BY SIMON NDIVE KALLA
The Director General of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (COTCO), Harouna Bako, was installed as the new Director General of the national oil refinery corporation, SONARA on Friday, February 9, 2024. He replaces Jean-Paul Simo Njonou, who has headed SONARA since January 14, 2019.
News of his appointment was unveiled during the extraordinary Board of Directors meeting of SONARA held on Friday, February 9, in Limbe.
Gaston Eloundou Essomba, the Minister of Water and Energy Resources, carried out his installation alongside the South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and other officials.
In his installation speech, Minister Gaston Eloundou indicated that “I urge you to pay special attention to its operation and functioning, as the guarantor of our country’s emergence vision 2035”.
The appointment, he continued, “comes in a context where, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, has instructed the government to do everything possible to accelerate the process of reconstruction of this important society, which is the guarantee of our energy independence in terms of the supply of petroleum products.”
It is worth recalling that the Government of the Republic, on the esteemed instructions of the Head of State, has introduced a line entitled “support to the refinery” of FCFA 47.88 into the price structure of petroleum products, in order to restructure and pay off SONARA’s debt.
A number of agreements have already been signed to this end, with the aim of first pacifying relations between SONARA and its partners.
“Mr. General Manager, your role will therefore be to speed up the restructuring process already initiated by the Government, in collaboration with our technical and institutional partners”,
“With regard to the reconstruction of the refinery, the Head of State instructed that the project be carried out under a Public/Private Partnership.” Gaston Eloundou said.
He therefore urged the new SONARA GM to take all necessary steps to recruit a financial and technical partner to rebuild while upgrading the damaged infrastructure.
“The refinery must be fitted with a hydrocracking unit (DHC) that will enable Cameroon’s crude oil to be refined to the heavy molecule in order to upgrade the distillate and produce noble products that are sold at higher prices on the market. With regard to SONARA’s import activities”,
“I urge you to pay special attention to making petroleum products available on the domestic market, as you have been entrusted with an 80% share by the State”. Gaston Eloundou added.
He told the New GM to ensure the development and reconversion of its storage tanks, which would guarantee a significant source of revenue to the company.
“It is your responsibility to ensure the equilibrium of your structure, and this will require, not only a peaceful social climate among your staff, but also the safeguarding of the general interest”,
“It will therefore be your responsibility to draw up a set of specifications, together with performance indicators, which will enable you to objectively assess individual and collective performance within the company” Gaston Eloundou.
He urged him focus on Results-based management approach. “It is only under these conditions that we will be able to achieve our objectives in terms of supplying the country with petroleum products, which is one of the main focus of your roadmap.” Gaston Eloundou added.
Biography of new SONARA GM
HarounaBako was born on September 18, 1963 in Nanga Eboko. A magistrate from the 82-87 class of the National School of Magistracy (ENAM), he also holds several diplomas in the field of public management.
Regarding his professional career, the senior magistrate has held several positions within the judiciary and public administration, including that of Deputy Director General of the Autonomous Port of Kribi.
Before his appointment as General Director of SONARA, he held the position of General Director of COTCO SA. Harouna Bako is married and father of five children.
At the end of an extraordinary session of its board of directors, held on February 9 in Limbe (South-West region), Harouna Bako (far left in the photo) was appointed director general of the National Refining Company (SONARA).
He replaces Jean-Paul Simo Njonou (far right in the photo), at the head of this public company since January 2019.
A magistrate by training, it is not in oil, but in the courts that Harouna Bako cut his teeth. Former attorney general at the West and Littoral Courts of Appeal, he was also president of the Eseka and Nkongsamba courts.
In 2016, he left the West Court of Appeal to be appointed deputy director general of the Autonomous Port of Kribi. In July 2023, the native of Nanga Ebokoa (Central region) was then appointed general manager of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (Cotco), a company in charge of managing the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, a position held until his appointment to the position.
At SONARA, he finds a company devastated since the fire which ravaged part of its facilities in May 2019. According to recent data from the Autonomous Amortization Fund, SONARA’s debt to its foreign suppliers amounts to approximately FCFA 425 billion. Holding alone 82% of the total external debt of public enterprises, SONARA is the most indebted state enterprise.
“The responsibility of SONARA is great in the process which must lead our country towards Emergence by 2035,” declared the Minister of Water and Energy (Minee) while installing Harouna Bako. This appointment comes in a context where the President of the Republic “instructed the government to do everything possible to accelerate the process of reconstruction of this important company which is the guarantee of our energy independence in terms of supply of petroleum products”, added Gaston Eloundou Essomba (center in the photo).