Article29 Jun 2026 20:04
Op
(Invest in Cameroon) - The American group Baker Hughes, one of the world's leading players in oil technology and services, inaugurated a service and equipment center in Douala on June 26, 2026. The ceremony took place in the presence of Hatem Salem, the group's Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Acting Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry.
Located in the port area of Douala, the site will serve as a centralized base for Baker Hughes' operations in Cameroon and, more broadly, in parts of Central Africa. It includes an office building, workshops, a warehouse, a storage yard, a drilling mud preparation unit, a bulk cement facility, a cement laboratory, and a secure area for certain technical equipment used in oil operations.
For Baker Hughes, this new facility marks a step in consolidating its presence in Cameroon, where the group has been operating for several decades. Until now, the company relied primarily on local facilities and partners to coordinate its services. The new center will allow it to bring its equipment, technical teams, and field services closer to the oil companies operating in the country.
A logistics tool to reduce delays and costs
The opening of this center comes at a time when rapid equipment availability, local maintenance, and adherence to deadlines are crucial. In the hydrocarbons industry, transporting specialized equipment from Europe, Asia, or other regional bases can lengthen operational schedules and increase the costs of drilling, completion, or maintenance campaigns.
In Douala, Baker Hughes intends to provide more direct technological solutions, equipment, and field services to oil operators. The center is expected to support activities related to drilling, fluids, cementing, equipment maintenance, and certain technical services associated with wells.
Beyond Cameroon, the facility is intended to serve as a platform for the group's operations in the CEMAC region and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This positioning reinforces Douala's role as a regional logistics hub, due to its port, its industrial base, and its proximity to several oil basins in Central Africa.
This installation will obviously not, on its own, solve the structural challenges facing Cameroon's upstream oil sector. However, it can contribute to improving the operational environment for companies by reducing certain mobilization costs, shortening response times, and facilitating local access to specialized services.
An arrival in a pressurized oil sector
The timing is strategic. Cameroon's crude oil production continues its downward trend. It reached 19.374 million barrels in 2025, compared to 21.377 million barrels in 2024, confirming the gradual erosion of extracted volumes. This trend reflects the aging of several fields, dwindling reserves, a slowdown in exploration, and drilling activity that is still insufficient to sustainably reverse the downward trend.