By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
An acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas has plunged households across Yaounde and Douala into deep frustration, forcing city dwellers to spend hours roaming city streets in search of domestic cooking cylinders as everyday living costs continue to climb.
For days, citizens in Cameroon’s major urban centers have faced a severe supply breakdown that shows little sign of easing. According to city dwellers, finding gas has become an exhausting ordeal, with low inventories feeding a surging black market where vendors sell remaining cylinders at high prices.
“Buying gas now is like searching for a needle in a haystack,” said a local trader, who carried an empty cylinder balanced on her head as she searched from block to block. “Since morning, I have been running back and forth to buy gas, but I haven’t found any. It’s really disturbing, especially at a time when we are already experiencing a high cost of living.”
The distribution breakdown has forced city dwellers to travel far beyond their usual neighborhoods in hopes of finding fuel, often returning empty-handed.
“I have been searching for cooking gas since last week with no luck,” another resident told reporters while riding a motorcycle between retail points. “The specific brand I use seems to be completely out of stock. I have checked everywhere to no avail.”
Even consumers who manage to locate supply must compromise on brand preferences and pay inflated rates. Standard 12.5-kilogram cylinders, typically regulated at FCFA 6,500, are commanding far higher prices on the street.
“I couldn’t find my usual brand after searching for days, so I decided to exchange my bottle for a different one and paid FCFA 8,000 CFA francs,” said Mildred smiling after securing a bottle. “I only managed to get it because I knew the seller, and it was their last bottle.”
With cooking gas out of reach, a growing number of families have turned to charcoal as a primary alternative. However, the sudden spike in demand, however, is rapidly driving up charcoal prices across local markets, compounding financial stress for low-income households.
“For some time now, I have been cooking with charcoal because I haven’t been able to buy gas,” said Magdalen, a shopper on her way to market. “The price of charcoal is gradually going up because so many people are turning to it while waiting for the gas supply to stabilize.”
“Ever since this morning, many people have been coming here to buy charcoal, and I must say business has been really strong,” the charcoal seller said. “I’ve been experiencing good sales not just today, but for the past few days as well, because demand has been high.”
In Douala, long queues of city dwellers holding empty cylinders have lined storefronts along major thoroughfares, prompting community leaders and citizens to call on government authorities to step in, restore supply chains, and enforce price controls before the crisis deepens.
