A dress rehearsal ceremony was organized at the site yesterday in the build up to the launching of the huge project by the Head of State any time soon.

No less than 15 cabinet ministers were at Lom Pangar, some 130 kilometres north of the East Regional capital yesterday July 30 to ensure that the formal launch of the mammoth Lom Pangar hydroelectricity project, scheduled for the coming days, is hitch-free.

A high-level delegation, led by the Minister-Director of the Civil Cabinet of the President of the Republic, Martin Belinga Eboutou, accompanied by his deputy, Joseph Le, arrived at the dam site at about noon. They met several other ministers who, in one way or the other would be directly involved in the smooth running of the event.

In the midst, one could identify Minister of State Bello Bouba Maigari of Tourism as well as his other cabinet colleagues, including Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o (Defence), Réné Sadi (Territorial Administration), Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi (Economy), Basile Atangana Kouna (Water and Energy), Patrice Amba Salla (Public Works), André Mama Fouda (Health), Issa Tciroma Bakary (Communication), Jean Claude Mbwentchou (Urban Development), Jacqueline Koung à Bessiké (Lands), Pierre Biyiti bi Essam (P&T), and Mengot Nkongho Arrey (Special Duties).

Also in attendance were the Secretary of State in the defence ministry in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Jean Baptiste Bokam, the Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguélé and the Governor of the East Region, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua. The party, including other important stakeholders, notably in the security sector, examined every detail that could possibly contribute to the success of the event. Led by the Minister-Director, they inspected the grandstand already built and which will have a sitting capacity of some 2,500.

Of the number, some 500 select guests will access the presidential tribune. The visitors were also shown the built-up structure which the President of the Republic will unveil to formally launch work. They were at a presidential facility where he will rest for a few minutes shortly after arrival by helicopter. An impeccable heliport, also inspected by the team, left no doubt about such a possibility.

In an exchange in the conference room of the work site, the Minister-Director expressed satisfaction with all preparatory work done so far and called on each of the Ministers or other officials to which specific duties were assigned to ensure that the same duty-consciousness is shown all through the preparatory phase, prelude to the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

The people of the Region are anxiously waiting for the foundation stone ceremony mostly because of the expected presence of President Paul Biya. Work has been steadily going on at the site in earnest since the beginning of the year, led by the Chinese construction company, CWE. Cameroon Tribune was able to watch them at work, one kilometre from the site where the foundation stone will be laid to put a stamp of approval on the construction of the dam