"We should let our partners go first": Risks, Uncertainties and Caution in Cameroon’s Gas Industry (1980-1983)

By Moïse Williams Pokam Kamdem

In the early 1980s, the State of Cameroon was joined by the oil companies Elf, Mobil, Pecten and Total to study the possibilities of liquefying natural gas and exporting it to the European market. These partners meet between 1980 and 1983 in the board of managers of the company to assess the progress of the project and thus determine their involvement in its implementation. However, facing the uncertainties arising from these negotiations, foreign companies question the economic viability of that initiative. Relying on the archives of the Total group, the analysis of the talks between the various actors explains the cautious attitude of the oil companies and the failure of this project.

Abstract from the website of Armand Colin, available here.