The Mrc political bureau member, Me Sikati, criticizes the press briefing given yesterday by the interim Minister of Mines and Technological Development.

During a press conference held in Yaoundé on July 15, 2026, Fuh Calistus Gentry, the interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (Minmidt), unequivocally denied any theft or disappearance of gold directly belonging to Cameroon’s state reserves.

This public statement, delivered alongside Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi, aimed to quell the growing controversy following revelations of a fiscal shortfall estimated at nearly 2,000 billion FCFA.

The Cameroonian government clarified that the current crisis does not stem from embezzlement of public funds but rather from widespread undeclared fraud by private mining operators. These private companies are reportedly minimizing the actual volumes of gold extracted.

As a result, the State is experiencing a drastic reduction in revenues from synthetic mining tax and export duties. The Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (ITIE) report for 2023 highlighted a massive discrepancy, with only 22 kg of gold declared for export by Cameroon, compared to 15 tonnes recorded by customs in the United Arab Emirates.

The Société Nationale des Mines (Sonamines) estimates that approximately 44 tonnes of gold bypassed formal channels between 2021 and 2025. To combat this illicit trade and regulate the gold sector, Professor Fuh Calistus Gentry announced immediate reforms. These include deploying a permanent field team comprising Sonamines, the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI), and the Directorate General of Customs (DGD).

This team will conduct direct oversight at production sites. Plans also include recruiting an international expert to assess the true potential of deposits and impose a minimum taxation independent of operators’ declarations.

Me Sikati’s reaction:

SOME CAMEROONIAN MINISTERS ARE TRUE MAGICIANS

Cameroon’s Minister of Mines is Fuh Calistus Gentry.

He was appointed to succeed his predecessor, Gabriel Dodo Ndoke, who passed away under circumstances that remain unexplained to this day.

During a press conference yesterday, Fuh Calistus Gentry stated that “there is no disappearance of gold belonging to the State.”

Yet, the scandal surrounding gold trafficking in Cameroon has been a major topic in both national and international media.

It is important to note that the minister does not claim there is no gold disappearance at all.

Instead, he implicitly states that the gold specifically belonging to the State of Cameroon has not disappeared.

This prompts my question to him: To whom, then, does all the gold belong, the disappearance of which has been revealed?

I wish to reiterate that, according to Cameroon’s Mining Code, the mineral subsoil and the gold found within it are the property of the Cameroonian State.

Perhaps the minister, like some others, believes that despite the clear provisions of the Mining Code, Cameroon’s gold belongs to certain private individuals.

In reality, their actions are not for Cameroon’s benefit. They are solely for their own interests.