SONARA Corporate Social Responsibility Component Buoyant In Trying Times

                     SONARA GM

By Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe

Despite the fire incident of May 31, 2019 that hit the lone oil refining company in Cameroon, SONARA, the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility component is still buoyant.

The company has been carrying out community projects in the surrounding villages as part of its corporate social responsibility viz a viz its hosts environs.

SONARA has constructed two modern water borehole projects within the community of Mukundange and the Limbola Health Centre, Limbe II Subdivision and two toilets, one at the Ngeme Market (Limbe II) and one at the Dikolo village within the Limbe III community.

The water projects that have been done  so far stands  at the cost of over FCFA 20 million while the toilets are at FCFA 10 million, all funded by SONARA for the benefit of these communities.

In the midst of these trying times, where the company is barely doing trading than production and sales, the company is still engaging in more community projects.

SONARA Saving Lives

Recently, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility component, SONARA constructed and erected a billboard along the Tiko Mutengene Road in partnership with the Ministry Of Transport through the Fako Divisional Delegation of Transport.

The intention of the project according to SONARA’s Chief of Service for Environment, Joseph Acha, is to guide road users as they ply the highway.

A ceremony to unveil the billboard and its inscription took place on February 2 at the Tiko Round About.

The essence of the campaign, according to SONARA officials, is aimed at reducing road accidents on the highways, create awareness about this drive to protect and preserve the lives of the thousands and millions of people who use the road.

For bilingualism purposes, one side of the billboard reads “Together for the Preservation of Lives on Our Roads” and the other side reads “Tous Pour La Préservation Des Vies Sur Nos Routes.”

Justification

Speaking to the press at the ceremony, SONARA’s Chief of Service for Environment, Joseph Acha who represented the General Manager, Jean Paul Simo Njonou, said “This project is part of SONARA’s community management plan put in place in order to assist members of the communities directly affected by SONARA’s activities.

This is the reason why we decided to put in place a sign board for road safety here”.

He added that, Tiko, the gateway into the Southwest was chosen because all those coming into the Region will have the opportunity to see the message and be reminded of their responsibility to drive with care and consequently ensure the safety of all those they are transporting.

Beneficiary Reacts

Reacting at the end of the ceremony, the Divisional Delegate of Transport for Fako, Xavier Youmba, was quick to laud SONARA on behalf of his Minister for their support to road safety which he said was of prime importance.

       

“I must first of all thank SONARA on behalf of my Minister for the offer of this special billboard aimed to help in the promotion of road safety for all,” the Divisional Delegate told press men.

He narrated that SONARA had approached them to know how they can accompany the ministry in the area of road safety.

The exercise of February 2, 2021, according to the Divisional Delegate is the fruit of such engagements.

Reassurance  

Meanwhile, in September of 2020, speaking on behalf of the General Manager Jean Paul Simo Njonou, SONARA’s Director of Communication, Public Relations, Translation and Interpretation, HRM Ebong Pende Divine had reassured the public that the company is much alive despite its crisis.

The message of reassurance was echoed to thousands of visitors who took turns at SONARA’s stand during this year’s edition of the Government Action Exhibition Fair dubbed SAGO 2020, last September 22 to 25, 2020 at the Yaounde Multipurpose Sports Complex.

“We came to SAGO2020 to reassure and confirm to the Cameroonian public that SONARA is alive and doing well despite all odds brought by the fire incident of last May 31, 2019.”  He said.

Chief Ebong Pende added that Government took the appropriate measures to ensure that the local or national market is continuously supplied with petroleum products.

To the Corporate Communications Guru, the gratitude of the management of SONARA goes to the Head of State who earlier, immediately after the fire incident, instructed government to ascertain that the local Cameroonian market does not run short of petroleum products and instructed government to ensure that all jobs at the level of SONARA and even the payroll at SONARA are maintained and not tampered with.

Background

Before the fire incident it should be recalled, SONARA was refining less than 10% of crude oil that is produced in Cameroon and the rest came from Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria etc.

It was therefore refining about 90% of crude oil that comes from outside and that is why SONARA decided to go into the extension and modernization project so that upon completion, it will be able to refine between 70% and 100% of crude oil coming from Cameroon.

The advantages will be enormous as cost will be reduced in terms of transportation and delivery deadline etc.

All was going on well before the unfortunate fire incident that took the company steps back in the realization of this dream.

Yet, the General Manager, Paul Simo Njonou and his team still finds time to think about its Corporate Social Responsibility actions towards its immediate communities.