1001 Smart Cities
🇨🇲 Yaoundé

Camwater Smart/Prepaid Water Metering Program

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 21 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

21 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

Camwater promised 3,000 smart meters for Yaoundé and Douala in 2020. In August 2026 it awarded a contract for 3,000 again — and no one has published what the first batch did.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byCamwater (Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation)
Scale🧪 Pilot
CostCFA721.76 million (2026 contract for 3,000 meters; tender estimate CFA1 billion)

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,247 documented projects · 🏙️ Yaoundé city profile · 💧 Water guide · 🌱 Environment projects

Camwater, Cameroon's public water utility, has pursued smart/prepaid water metering for its Yaoundé and Douala networks since 2020, when it ran a restricted international tender and presented a pilot phase covering 3,000 meters split between the two cities — aimed at replacing manual meter reading with phone- or card-based prepaid recharging to cut billing disputes and revenue losses. A 2021 press report questioned whether the pilot had stalled, the supplier later said it had installed about 1,500 prepaid meters in Bonabéri, in Douala, in 2021, and no source gives a count for Yaoundé. In June 2026 Camwater issued a new international tender (budget ~1 billion FCFA, financed through the Ministry of Water and Energy's Public Investment Budget under the PFORR IMPACT program) for supply, installation and commissioning of an intelligent metering system, with a delivery period the notice gives as both 180 and 200 days. In August 2026 it awarded the contract — 3,000 smart meters for CFA721.76 million — to China's Hangzhou Laison Technology, naming Bonabéri in Douala and Odza in Yaoundé as pilot areas; the first installations were not expected before October 2026.

Planning 📅 since 2020

📊 Impact

No result was recorded in 2025: as of June 2026 the World Bank, which ties part of its IDA financing to the programme, rated the revenue indicator for smart-metered areas off track, and no published assessment shows how the 2021 pilot meters performed or what revenue they brought in.

🎓 Lesson

A pilot that is announced, tendered and tendered again without a published result cannot teach the next round anything: the 2026 contract documents do not say whether the new meters supplement, replace or restart the ones installed in 2021.

🌱 EnvironmentWaterSensors & IoT

Sources

↗ Journal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanismPublished 20 August 202020 August 2020: Camwater presented its smart meters to consumer associations; a pilot of 3,000 meters is planned in Yaoundé and Douala, rechargeable by phone or card, to reduce meter readers and billing complaints.
↗ StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partnerPublished 9 March 2020March 2020: restricted international tender among four named consortia for a technical partner to deploy smart meters for Camwater's more than 400,000 consumers, tested first on two sites in Yaoundé and Douala; rationale: unreliable manual reading and billing complaints.
↗ actucameroun.com (Feb 2021) — questions where the promised smart meters wentPublished 15 February 2021February 2021 report asking where the smart meters promised in 2020 had gone.
↗ ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listingPublished 4 June 2026Open international tender of 3 June 2026 (urgent procedure) for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a smart water-metering system; estimated cost CFA1 billion; financed from the public investment budget through the Ministry of Water and Energy while also citing the IMPACT programme's IDA credit; delivery period stated as 180 days in one section and 200 days in another.
↗ 237online.com (July 2026) — renewed rollout coveragePublished 7 July 2026July 2026: a three-year pilot phase announced for Yaoundé and Douala under the IMPACT programme; awareness sessions under way, no meters yet installed.
Show 1 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)Published 1 September 2026Camwater awarded Hangzhou Laison Technology a CFA721.76 million contract (decision of 17 August 2026) for 3,000 smart meters, the first 7.5% of 40,000 planned under the World Bank-backed IMPACT programme; pilot areas Bonabéri (Douala) and Odza (Yaoundé); first installations not expected before October 2026. As of 30 June 2026 the World Bank rated the smart-meter revenue indicator 'off track'. Laison says it installed about 1,500 prepaid meters in Bonabéri in 2021; no public assessment of how they performed exists.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2020. 6 of 6 sources carry a publication date, from 9 March 2020 to 1 September 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. StopBlaBlaCam · pressStopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner
  2. Journal du Cameroun · pressJournal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanism
  3. Actu Cameroun · pressactucameroun.com (Feb 2021) — questions where the promised smart meters went
  4. Agence de Régulation des Marchés Publics (ARMP, Cameroon) · oversight bodyARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
  5. 237online · press237online.com (July 2026) — renewed rollout coverage
  6. Business in Cameroon · pressBusiness in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Sources last read
  2. Entered the record

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 21 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence file · public beta 21 addressable claims, 6 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The file is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 21

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-14ff7c1565cc536d descriptive
Camwater, Cameroon's public water utility
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report describes Camwater as the public utility producing, transporting, distributing and selling drinking water in urban areas.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner
Claim 2 clm-ee4e46a52ab24bff quantitative
since 2020, when it ran a restricted international tender
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The March 2020 report describes the restricted international tender for a technical partner.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner
Claim 3 clm-4bec882de0d4438c quantitative
presented a pilot phase covering 3,000 meters split between the two cities
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report on the August 2020 presentation describes a first pilot of 3,000 meters in Yaoundé and Douala.
Caveat
No source gives the split between the two cities.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Journal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanism
Claim 4 clm-a7dc83476da82b1f descriptive
replacing manual meter reading with phone- or card-based prepaid recharging
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The utility says the meters can be recharged by phone or card and will reduce the number of meter readers; the tender cites unreliable manual reading.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Journal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanism
  2. StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner
Claim 5 clm-d3b08e296d58ff4e descriptive
to cut billing disputes and revenue losses
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The tender attributes multiple subscriber complaints to manual reading; the 2026 programme is designed to improve billing and recover revenue.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner
  2. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 6 clm-3e729040f3de0889 quantitative
A 2021 press report questioned whether the pilot had stalled
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The February 2021 report's headline asks where the smart meters promised in 2020 had gone.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. actucameroun.com (Feb 2021) — questions where the promised smart meters went
Claim 7 clm-b5ee0d0d309250e6 quantitative
the supplier later said it had installed about 1,500 prepaid meters in Bonabéri, in Douala, in 2021
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report cites the supplier's statement about its 2021 installation.
Caveat
A supplier statement; Camwater has not published a count.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 8 clm-5f93c7abae4b09bb descriptive
no source gives a count for Yaoundé
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report notes that an earlier publication placed the pilot in Bonabéri and Odza while giving inconsistent totals, and that the 2026 documents do not divide the meters between the two areas.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 9 clm-ec287702f7e04b4a quantitative
In June 2026 Camwater issued a new international tender
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The regulator's listing publishes Camwater's open international tender of 3 June 2026.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
Claim 10 clm-892d7724f346a84e quantitative
budget ~1 billion FCFA
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The notice gives an estimated cost of one billion CFA francs including taxes.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
Claim 11 clm-ef8a8f91f75695c3 descriptive
financed through the Ministry of Water and Energy's Public Investment Budget under the PFORR IMPACT program
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The notice charges the contract to the public investment budget through the Ministry of Water and Energy and carries the IMPACT programme reference.
Caveat
The same notice also refers to the programme's World Bank IDA credit; it does not say how much comes from each source.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
Claim 12 clm-86a075550bae3e30 descriptive
for supply, installation and commissioning of an intelligent metering system
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The notice describes the scope of the contract.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
Claim 13 clm-ebce4135c39c14a8 quantitative
with a delivery period the notice gives as both 180 and 200 days
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
One clause of the notice sets a maximum of 180 days and the delivery clause sets 200 days; the September 2026 report points out the discrepancy.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
  2. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 14 clm-cff045c9141cfbf4 quantitative
In August 2026 it awarded the contract — 3,000 smart meters for CFA721.76 million — to China's Hangzhou Laison Technology
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report describes the award decision signed on 17 August 2026.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 15 clm-79a5edaf19bfea0b descriptive
naming Bonabéri in Douala and Odza in Yaoundé as pilot areas
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report cites the tender documents' pilot areas.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 16 clm-9eeeb17f95888dd0 quantitative
the first installations were not expected before October 2026
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report cites the World Bank's June 2026 status of the programme.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 18 clm-e8fa39c9a7006ebf quantitative
as of June 2026 the World Bank, which ties part of its IDA financing to the programme, rated the revenue indicator for smart-metered areas off track
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report describes the IDA allocation tied to the revenue indicator and the World Bank's 'off track' rating.
Caveat
The World Bank co-finances the programme, so this is a funder's monitoring, not an independent evaluation.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 19 clm-68f53c22562b036e quantitative
no published assessment shows how the 2021 pilot meters performed or what revenue they brought in
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report states that public sources contain no assessment of the earlier devices.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 20 clm-f05de8284912fda9 descriptive
A pilot that is announced, tendered and tendered again without a published result cannot teach the next round anything
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Camwater announced a 3,000-meter pilot in 2020, tendered again in 2026, and no assessment of the first round has been published.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Journal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanism
  2. ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing
  3. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Claim 21 clm-a21bcebb360ecf78 quantitative
the 2026 contract documents do not say whether the new meters supplement, replace or restart the ones installed in 2021
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report notes the silence of the tender documents on the earlier system.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-11-04-evidence-baseline effective 2026-11-03 · created 2026-11-04

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:1dcb414f2e368647f9ddda19efff07e095a3eb28771fbdc21febd13fe679a886
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
21
of 21 claims mapped
6
source dossiers
6
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Camwater (Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation)
Actor types
utility
Funding model
mixed
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
CFA721.76 million (2026 contract for 3,000 meters; tender estimate CFA1 billion)
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

6 source dossiers

Journal du Cameroun — 2020 pilot presentation, 3,000-meter Yaoundé/Douala scope, prepaid recharge mechanism fr.journalducameroun.com · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-0d30721f75b5f04b
Publisher
Name not classified · fr.journalducameroun.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2020-08-20
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

20 August 2020: Camwater presented its smart meters to consumer associations; a pilot of 3,000 meters is planned in Yaoundé and Douala, rechargeable by phone or card, to reduce meter readers and billing complaints.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
StopBlaBlaCam — March 2020 restricted international tender for a technical partner stopblablacam.com · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-411f2fc687e1f738
Publisher
Name not classified · stopblablacam.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2020-03-09
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

March 2020: restricted international tender among four named consortia for a technical partner to deploy smart meters for Camwater's more than 400,000 consumers, tested first on two sites in Yaoundé and Douala; rationale: unreliable manual reading and billing complaints.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
actucameroun.com (Feb 2021) — questions where the promised smart meters went actucameroun.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-3eb704c0f73c5dfd
Publisher
Name not classified · actucameroun.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-02-15
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

February 2021 report asking where the smart meters promised in 2020 had gone.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
ARMP (Cameroon's public procurement regulator) — 2026 tender listing armp.cm · 6 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-db5ff904d723be95
Publisher
Name not classified · armp.cm
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-06-04
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Open international tender of 3 June 2026 (urgent procedure) for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a smart water-metering system; estimated cost CFA1 billion; financed from the public investment budget through the Ministry of Water and Energy while also citing the IMPACT programme's IDA credit; delivery period stated as 180 days in one section and 200 days in another.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
237online.com (July 2026) — renewed rollout coverage 237online.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-5a238ba3730b403f
Publisher
Name not classified · 237online.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-07-07
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

July 2026: a three-year pilot phase announced for Yaoundé and Douala under the IMPACT programme; awareness sessions under way, no meters yet installed.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Business in Cameroon — Camwater awards 3,000-meter smart-meter contract (Sept 2026) businessincameroon.com · 12 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ad9c8d3591f77707
Publisher
Name not classified · businessincameroon.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-09-01
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Camwater awarded Hangzhou Laison Technology a CFA721.76 million contract (decision of 17 August 2026) for 3,000 smart meters, the first 7.5% of 40,000 planned under the World Bank-backed IMPACT programme; pilot areas Bonabéri (Douala) and Odza (Yaoundé); first installations not expected before October 2026. As of 30 June 2026 the World Bank rated the smart-meter revenue indicator 'off track'. Laison says it installed about 1,500 prepaid meters in Bonabéri in 2021; no public assessment of how they performed exists.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇳🇦 Prepaid Water Metering, Token by Token · Windhoek Two African prepaid-water plans: Windhoek's offline tokens have run since 2021; Yaounde is only now tendering a connected version. 🇯🇴 Amman Smart Water Metering (Miyahuna/Itron NRW Reduction) · Amman Same problem, different capacity: Yaounde's 2020 pilot stalled at 3,000 meters; Amman's Itron rollout already covers 76,000+. 🇰🇪 Water ATMs: Prepaid Dispensers in Nairobi's Informal Settlements · Nairobi Cameroon's Camwater is chasing the same prepaid-water fix, still stuck in a 3,000-meter pilot years after Nairobi's rollout began.

Explore the wider context

📟 A Reading Is Not a Decision📖 District metering area (DMA)📖 Non-revenue water (NRW)📖 Prepaid metering
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “Camwater Smart/Prepaid Water Metering Program” — Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/yaounde-camwater-smart-water-meters/ (last verified 2026-11-03). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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