MTN, ITGStore Win CFA1.38 Billion Contract to Install Wi-Fi Networks at Six Cameroon Airports

MTN Cameroon and ITGStore have won a CFA1.38 billion contract to install wireless and network infrastructure at six airports in Cameroon, advancing a long-delayed component of the country’s World Bank-backed digital connectivity program.

Cameroon’s Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATNUC) awarded the acquisition, installation and commissioning of WLAN and SD-WAN infrastructure to the ITGStore-MTN Cameroon consortium. The winning bid totals CFA1.377 billion, including taxes, according to a decision signed Sept. 4, 2026, and published Sept. 9 by the Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ARMP).

The equipment will be deployed at airports in Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua, Maroua, Ngaoundéré and Yaoundé. The consortium will have six months to complete the work once it receives the official order to proceed. WLAN refers to wireless local area network technology, commonly used for Wi-Fi connections. SD-WAN uses software to manage connections between multiple locations and makes it easier to control traffic across a wide-area network.

A second contract for charging stations at the same six airports was awarded to the Central Achat Cameroun-Bercotech consortium for CFA260.70 million, including taxes, with a four-month completion period. Together, the two contracts bring the total value of the operation to CFA1.638 billion.

Original Timeline Already Missed

The awards do not mean installation work has begun. In its Sept. 4 statement, PATNUC said the contract signing date was still “in progress” and asked both consortiums to contact the project management unit to finalize their agreements.

The six-month period for the networks and four-month period for the charging stations will begin only after the official orders to proceed are issued.

The project is already behind the timetable set out in Cameroon’s 2026 public procurement plan. For both contracts, the Public Procurement Ministry initially expected awards on June 5, contract signatures on July 13 and work to start on July 27, 2026. Completion was scheduled for Jan. 27, 2027.

The contracts were ultimately awarded nearly three months later than planned and remained unsigned as of Sept. 9. The original completion date can therefore no longer be met if the full six-month contractual period begins only after the order to proceed.

Published documents do not specify how much equipment will be installed at each airport, provide detailed network architecture or disclose expected connection speeds. They also do not establish whether the WLAN infrastructure will provide Wi-Fi directly to passengers or primarily serve airport operations.

Camtel and Yoomee Eliminated

The contracts followed an international tender launched on March 16, 2026. Technical criteria accounted for 70% of the evaluation and cost for 30%.

For the WLAN/SD-WAN contract, PATNUC’s statement lists no other compliant bid. Camtel was disqualified because its technical proposal lacked a training module. PATNUC also noted that its proposed training covered Cisco equipment even though the operator offered Huawei hardware.

Yoomee Cameroon was eliminated because its skills-transfer program did not meet tender requirements. Three other bidders were also disqualified. The FGE Services-Tunisie Microinfo consortium did not provide detailed engineering and architecture for its proposed solution, while Broadband CM did not provide a support guarantee.

For CDS Technologie, PATNUC cited, among other issues, a Fortinet manufacturer authorization even though its proposal involved Huawei equipment, as well as an architecture that was deemed noncompliant.

For the charging-station contract, second-ranked 2L Technologie submitted a CFA277 million bid, compared with CFA260.70 million from Central Achat Cameroun-Bercotech. The winning bid was therefore CFA16.30 million, or about 5.9%, lower. Camtel and Yoomee were also disqualified from this contract. Camtel lacked a manufacturer authorization, while Yoomee failed to provide supporting documentation for the system intended to monitor service continuity.

Long-Delayed Deployments Move Forward

The operation is financed through the World Bank’s IDA Credit No. 69870-CM. The tender provides for direct payments under the institution’s disbursement procedures. It falls under PATNUC’s “Digital Connectivity and Inclusion” component, which was initially allocated $48 million, or about CFA27 billion.

In a July 23, 2025 report, the World Bank rated the component “moderately unsatisfactory.” At the time, less than 5% of its allocated funds had been used, and planned deployments to several categories of public entities, including airports, had yet to take place.

The two contract awards therefore mark progress from that position. However, the transition from procurement awards to operational infrastructure now depends on the contracts being signed and, more importantly, the issuance of orders to proceed.

Baudouin Enama