République du Cameroun paix-travail-patrie MINISTERE DES MINES, DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DU DEVELOPPEMENT TECHNOLOGIQUE RÉPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROON RÉPUBLIQUE OF CAMEROON Republic of Cameroon peace-work-fatherland MINISTRY OF MINES, INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
Joint MINCOM - MINMIDT Press Briefing on the Theme:
« The New Face of Cameroon's Mining Sector with the Launch of Major Projects and the Restructuring of the Gold Sector »
ADDRESS BY PROF. FUH CALISTUS GENTRY
MINISTER OF MINES, INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT (Ag.)
YAOUNDÉ, 15 JULY 2026
Mr Minister of Communication, Government Spokesperson,
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First and foremost, following the remarks of the Minister of Communication, I would like to warmly welcome you and thank you for your strong presence at this important engagement with the national and international press. I wish to extend special appreciation to the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson for joining me today. His initiative and participation reflect the Government's firm commitment to communicating openly and transparently on the far-reaching reforms currently being implemented in the mining sector. This press conference is taking place at a decisive moment, one that may rightly be described as historic in the development and responsible management of our country's mineral resources.
In this regard, I would like to share with members of the media the encouraging developments taking place in our country's mining sector, as well as its projected growth and transformation in the years ahead.
I will also address the specific situation of the gold sector, which has been the subject of considerable public debate in recent months following the publication of the 2023 EITI Report.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A - IN 2025, CAMEROON'S MINING SECTOR TAKES ON A NEW FACE AND CAMEROON BECOMES AN INDUSTRIAL MINING COUNTRY
Since the colonial era, Cameroon has always been described as a country with 'high mining potential'. For decades, geography textbooks and expert circles alike have repeatedly referred to the wealth of our subsoil, invariably citing the Minim-Martap bauxite deposit and the iron ore deposits of the Kribi range.
Yet this exceptional potential remained insufficiently developed, confining our mining policy to a form of wait-and-see approach or extractive inertia. It is also worth clarifying that, apart from artisanal gold, Cameroon has never exported any other mineral. These are visible bulk commodities that can only be transported by ship and therefore cannot be moved without public knowledge.
Accordingly, claims often made by certain experts and politicians that minerals other than gold are being looted are automatically contradicted by the facts and may be regarded as erroneous and made in bad faith.
Today, under the visionary leadership of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, 2025 stands as a historic year for our country, as it definitively marks our entry into the select group of mining nations through the commissioning of five major mining projects, namely: