On June 29, 2026, the debate over the Garoua stadiums reached its peak: Ben Modo, head of Prime Potomac, sent a blunt letter to the Minister of Sports, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, announcing that he has private financing capable of restarting the works on July 15 and completing them before December 31, 2026, without any advance from the State.
This announcement breaks with the long period of inactivity that began in 2021, when the works were stalled by repeated payment delays from the public client. The youth of Garoua, who have been waiting for promised sports facilities for years, finally see a glimmer of hope, but also a new power struggle between the private sector and government authorities.
Prime Potomac, the project's contractor, accuses the minister of wanting to exploit the name of his company as a pretext to siphon money from the State's coffers. “He wants to use my company to extract public funds,” Ben Modo writes in his correspondence, highlighting a growing mistrust of administrative practices that have left the site in deafening silence.
The analysis by Shance Lion, published in the same issue, describes the letter as a disguised “notice of default,” where every word sounds like an open accusation. He notes that the stadiums have become the symbol of a project that “never seems to finish,” and that Prime Potomac's breaking of the silence could trigger a series of legal and financial responses from the ministry.
For the region’s residents, the prospect of a delivery before year‑end carries concrete importance: football and athletics fields ready to host local competitions, temporary jobs during the restart phase, and a strong signal that Cameroon can mobilise private capital to fill the State’s gaps. The risk, however, remains Prime Potomac's ability to meet its commitments without the usual governmental budgetary support.
The minister, for his part, responded with an official notice of default, recalling the company’s contractual obligations and the requirements for financial transparency. This reply hints at a legal escalation that could further delay the announced timetable, unless a compromise agreement is reached between the two parties.
As the country prepares for other major infrastructure projects, the case of the Garoua stadiums illustrates the dilemma between reliance on the State and private initiative. If Prime Potomac manages to deliver the facilities on the promised date, it could pave the way for other investors ready to fill the voids left by slow administrative procedures. If not, the project risks becoming another painful reminder of unkept promises that haunt Cameroon's sporting sector.
