Cameroon tightens oversight on gold miners as sonamines cracks down

The National Mining Company (Sonamines) is increasing pressure on gold miners in Cameroon. Following an inspection tour in the Adamaoua and East regions—the main hubs for artisanal and semi-mechanized gold production—Director General Serge Hervé Boyogueno delivered a blunt assessment. Many operators fail to meet expected production thresholds, some are clearly insolvent, and environmental shortcomings along with opaque trading channels undermine the state’s sovereignty over the sector.

Field inspections expose the sector’s weaknesses

The visited regions concentrate most of Cameroon’s gold activity, dominated by semi-mechanized firms and a myriad of artisans. Sonamines’ mission aimed to verify whether permit holders comply with their contractual and regulatory obligations. The director general’s findings highlight a persistent gap between commitments made when permits were granted and the actual production levels observed on-site.

Production targets outlined in the specifications are not met by a significant number of operators. This underperformance is compounded, in some cases, by proven insolvency toward the state and its entities. On this point, the Sonamines chief explicitly defers the decision to the Ministry of Mines, the only body authorized to suspend or revoke permits. The state-owned company thus positions itself as the technical oversight body, leaving political authorities responsible for sanctions.

Insolvency, environment, and opaque trade: a triple challenge

Beyond strictly financial issues, the mission documented worrying environmental deficiencies. Restoring exploited sites, managing wastewater contaminated with mercury or cyanide, and securing extraction zones remain open tasks. These failures expose surrounding communities to major health risks and compromise the sustainability of an activity that is increasingly important for the local economy in the East and Adamaoua.

Another front concerns commercialization. A substantial portion of extracted gold bypasses official channels and feeds regional smuggling networks, depriving the public treasury of revenue and preventing metal traceability. This opacity, long denounced by specialized organizations, contradicts Yaoundé’s stated goal of mineral sovereignty. Sonamines now intends to tighten the net by strengthening reporting obligations and approved collection points.

Toward a national strategic gold stockpile

The most structural ambition of the general management remains building a national strategic stockpile. This goal, modeled on practices seen in several African central banks, aims to provide Cameroon with a metal reserve that could back part of its monetary policy and serve as a buffer in case of external shock. The logic aligns with other producing countries in the sub-region that want to capture more value from their own resources.

However, the success of this strategy requires Sonamines to channel a significant share of national production through its counters. This calls for prior cleanup of the operator landscape, competitive purchase prices against informal buyers, and close coordination with security forces and customs along border corridors. The expected decisions from the Ministry of Mines on the fate of non-compliant operators will be decisive in this regard.

The implementation phase of Cameroon’s mining reform promises to be delicate. It pits the imperative of contractual discipline against preserving a sector that provides informal jobs and the desire to place gold within a logic of financial sovereignty. The precise timeline for ministerial decisions has not been announced, but the conclusions of Sonamines’ mission are expected to inform upcoming directives. The director general intends to continue inspections in other production areas.