Cameroon’s National Printing Office has canceled a CFA230 million tender to repair part of its production equipment, leaving unresolved how the state-owned company will address machinery problems that affect its operational capacity.

The tender, launched on August 7, 2026, was canceled through a decision signed September 9 by Director General Pierre Nolasque Oyono Bika and published September 11 on the Public Procurement Regulatory Agency, or ARMP, portal. The decision cites only Article 92 of the institution’s internal public procurement guidelines.

It provides no specific reason for ending the process. It also does not say whether bids were opened, whether a new tender will be issued or how the CFA230 million allocation will now be used. The cancellation itself therefore does not mean the corresponding funds have been withdrawn.

The procurement process had already faced two delays. The bid submission and opening date, initially set for August 28, was postponed to August 31 through an addendum dated August 27, then delayed again to September 2 through a second addendum. The tender was canceled seven days after that final deadline.

None of the published documents explains the reasons for the postponements or indicates whether they were connected to the cancellation.

Seven Lots to Restore Production Equipment

According to the tender documents, the work was to be financed through the National Printing Office’s 2026 operating budget, using a special allocation from the Ministry of Finance. The tender was restricted to Cameroonian companies specializing in mechanical and electrical engineering.

The CFA230 million budget was divided among seven lots. The largest allocation, CFA70 million, or 30.4% of the total, covered four pieces of equipment used to secure documents.

Repairs to five SX-series offset presses were budgeted at CFA45 million. Four envelope-making machines and five paper cutters were allocated CFA40 million each. Another CFA15 million was earmarked for four K-series offset presses, while air conditioning for three production areas and an overhaul of a rotary offset press were budgeted at CFA10 million each.

The specifications called for mechanical, electrical and electronic repairs, replacement parts, and training for operators and maintenance staff. They identified worn rollers, belts and sensors, faulty control systems, programming problems and broken air conditioners. Completion periods ranged from 45 to 120 days, depending on the lot.

The condition of the equipment was therefore not presented solely as a medium-term modernization issue. The tender documents also required successful contractors to keep repaired machines operational during the execution of an electoral materials order. The cancellation decision does not explain how that operational requirement will now be met.

Relationship With 20-Year PPP Remains Unclear

The maintenance program was planned less than a year after the National Printing Office signed a public-private partnership with Côte d’Ivoire-based Impact Palmarès R&D on November 28, 2025.

Presented as a 20-year agreement, the partnership covers the modernization, automation and security of the state-owned company’s production equipment.

An official account from the Ministry of Communication identifies National Printing Office Director General Pierre Nolasque Oyono Bika and Impact Palmarès R&D President Giresse Tella as the signatories. Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi presided over the ceremony but was not a signatory to the agreement.

The value of the PPP, its financing plan and the division of investment responsibilities between the partners have not been disclosed. The 2026 tender documents also do not say whether the CFA230 million repair program was intended as an interim measure ahead of private-sector investment, an operation separate from the PPP or work that could be covered under the partnership.

Based on the information available, no connection can therefore be established between the agreement with Impact Palmarès R&D and the cancellation of the tender.

Problems with the National Printing Office’s production equipment predate the current program. In a March 4, 2019 article, Cameroon Tribune reported that its large-format machines were out of service and that the number of operational small-format machines had fallen from 10 to four.

Of CFA7 billion in orders recorded in 2018, the National Printing Office completed CFA3 billion, or 42.9%. Those figures show that production capacity problems have existed for years, but they do not establish the institution’s financial or industrial position in 2026.

Culled from Business in Cameroon