Cameroon tightens grip on gold mining sector to secure national interests

The National Mining Company (Sonamines) is intensifying its oversight of gold mining operations across Cameroon. Following an extensive inspection tour through the Adamaoua and East regions—the heart of the country’s artisanal and semi-mechanized gold production—Director General Serge Hervé Boyogueno has issued a stern assessment. The findings reveal that numerous operators are failing to meet mandatory production quotas, while others face insolvency, environmental violations, and a lack of transparency that undermines national sovereignty over mineral resources.

Field inspections expose vulnerabilities in the gold sector

The regions under review represent the core of Cameroon‘s gold activity, which is largely split between semi-mechanized firms and small-scale artisanal miners. This mission was designed to ensure that permit holders are honoring their contractual and regulatory commitments. However, the data collected indicates a significant disconnect between the promises made during the licensing phase and the actual output on the ground.

A substantial number of operators are falling short of the production thresholds established in their technical specifications. This underperformance is compounded by the fact that several entities are effectively insolvent, owing significant debts to the state. While Sonamines acts as the technical body identifying these failures, the Director General has clarified that the final authority to suspend or revoke mining permits rests solely with the Ministry of Mines. The state company is thus providing the evidence required for the government to take decisive administrative action.

Environmental damage and the shadow economy

Beyond financial discrepancies, the inspection documented alarming environmental negligence. Critical issues include the failure to restore exhausted mining sites, the mismanagement of wastewater contaminated with mercury or cyanide, and a general lack of safety protocols at extraction zones. These lapses pose severe health risks to local communities and threaten the long-term ecological viability of the Adamaoua and East regions, where mining is a primary economic driver.

The investigation also highlighted a crisis in commercial transparency. A large portion of the gold produced is bypassing official channels and entering regional smuggling networks. This illicit trade deprives the national treasury of vital revenue and makes the metal impossible to track. To combat this, Sonamines plans to implement stricter reporting requirements and expand the network of authorized collection points to reclaim control over the domestic gold market.

Building a national strategic gold reserve

The most ambitious part of the current strategy is the creation of a national strategic gold stock. Following the lead of several other African central banks, Cameroon aims to establish a metallic reserve that can support its monetary policy and provide a financial cushion against global economic shocks. This move aligns with a broader trend among regional producers to retain more value from their natural resources within their own borders.

For this vision to succeed, Sonamines must successfully redirect a significant portion of national production into state coffers. This will require purging the sector of non-compliant operators, offering competitive purchase prices to rival informal buyers, and ensuring tight coordination with customs and security forces along border corridors. The upcoming decisions from the Ministry of Mines regarding failing operators will be a major indicator of the reform’s momentum.

The execution of these mining reforms remains a complex challenge. It requires balancing the need for strict contract enforcement with the reality of a sector that provides many informal jobs. While a specific timeline for ministerial sanctions has not yet been released, the findings from this mission will guide future policy. Oversight operations are expected to continue in other mining basins across the country as part of this ongoing cleanup effort.