A medium sized fishing industry which has developed in Ouami, a village situated some 20km from the site of the Lom Pangar hydroelectric power plant is one of the first socio-economic impacts of the project.
Since the partial filling of the dam, the volume of water downstream has increased leading to plenty of fish. In just a few months, the population has increased from barely 400 people to about 7000
Most of the newcomers are from different parts of the country and even the sub-region. They have been attracted by the fishing Eldorado, which is the first fruits of the project.
Some of the fishers are former commercial motorbike riders who have abandoned the trade in big towns like Yaounde and Douala to join fishing which is more lucrative.
The fishermen say they made about FCFA 25000 a day from the variety of fish caught and sold in the local market.