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By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Energy of Cameroon (ENEO) has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the nationwide update of prepaid meters. The company is urging Cameroonians to take action before the deadline to avoid service disruptions.
ENEO made the remarks in Yaoundé on May 15 during a meeting aimed at reviewing the first phase of the operation to update 350,000 meters in the country. The meeting brought together ENEO officials and consumer associations.
Speaking during the meeting, Richard Bebey Black, Director of the project, disclosed that the update process is going very well and is free of charge. While stating that the project to update prepaid electricity meters is a global requirement that takes place every 10 years, he added that since its launch in November 2023, updates have reached 83.63 percent completion.
“This project, which has been running for almost five months, is nearing the end of its operational phase at ENEO. Over 83 percent of customers have successfully updated their prepaid meters. We can say it is a great success. Customers have to do it themselves,” Bebey remarked.
Despite the success rate, he called on Cameroonians who have not yet updated their meters to do so before the deadline of November 24, 2024. He said that after this date, those who have not updated their meters will no longer be able to recharge them and consequently will lose access to electricity supply.
To achieve the target of a 100 percent update rate, Houa Nassoazoa, Manager in Charge of Customer Care at ENEO, said everything has been put in place to ensure a smooth process. This includes a 15-member team established to contact those involved in the update.
In addition to that, there will be constant reminders sent to Cameroonians through WhatsApp, communication have been intensified through live chat, as well as the continued 24-hour availability of ENEO’s services to help complete the process. ENEO officials pointed out that over 99 percent of customer complaints have been resolved.
Consumer associations and syndicates, for their part, presented their concerns and called for more collaboration, especially given that they sometimes feel neglected and pushed aside despite playing a key role in bridging the gap between consumers and ENEO.
“After this meeting, we can conclude that consumers have to update their prepaid meters. It is imperative because it is a global update, and their platforms are already available, but there is a need to make them accessible to associations. We have to collaborate to make it work,” said Barrister Mama Bertrand from an association.
It is worth noting that only around 350,000 prepaid meters in Cameroon are targeted for the update. Not all meters are involved, as only meters installed between 2017 and 2021 require updating. The update process is aimed at transiting from STS edition One standard devices to the newer STS edition Two standard by November 24.
To determine a meter’s eligibility for the update, ENEO advises customers to dial 873 on the recharge interface to check the meter’s status (STS edition 1 or edition 2). Customers are urged to promptly perform the upgrade operation upon receiving the tokens to avoid meter usage disruptions.
ENEO is individually notifying affected customers via SMS or WhatsApp, providing them with the necessary codes for the meter update. This measure is implemented to address security and service continuity concerns, with ENEO emphasizing that the update will not impact meter reliability or pricing.
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