Sonamines tightens oversight of gold miners in Cameroon

Cameroon’s state-owned mining company, Sonamines, has intensified its regulatory scrutiny over gold miners operating in the country. Following a recent inspection sweep across the Adamaoua and Eastern regions—key hubs for artisanal and semi-mechanized gold extraction—CEO Serge Hervé Boyogueno delivered a scathing assessment of the sector’s performance. Many operators are failing to meet expected production quotas, while others are financially insolvent. Environmental violations and opaque trade practices further undermine the government’s control over the gold supply chain.

Ground inspections expose systemic weaknesses in gold mining

The Adamaoua and Eastern regions account for most of Cameroon’s gold output, dominated by semi-mechanized mining firms and small-scale artisans. Sonamines dispatched the audit team to assess compliance with contractual and regulatory obligations. The findings, presented by the CEO, reveal a stark gap between the commitments made during permit issuance and the actual output observed in the field.

A significant number of miners are not meeting their stated production targets. Some are also unable to settle financial obligations to the state, prompting Sonamines to defer disciplinary action to the Ministry of Mines— the only authority empowered to suspend or revoke permits. In this role, the state-owned company acts as a technical evaluator, leaving policy decisions to political authorities.

Financial instability, environmental damage, and smuggling pose triple threat

Beyond financial non-compliance, the audit uncovered severe environmental shortcomings. Many sites lack proper rehabilitation, wastewater laced with mercury or cyanide goes untreated, and extraction zones remain insecure. These failures pose serious health risks to nearby communities and jeopardize the long-term viability of mining—a sector increasingly vital to the local economies of Adamaoua and the East.

The problem extends to gold marketing. A large share of extracted gold bypasses official channels and feeds into regional smuggling networks, depriving the national treasury of revenue and preventing traceability. This opacity, long flagged by industry analysts, conflicts with the government’s stated goal of mineral sovereignty. Sonamines is now tightening controls by enforcing stricter reporting and mandating gold sales through approved collection points.

National gold reserve: a strategic vision for Cameroon

The most ambitious goal advanced by Sonamines is the creation of a national strategic gold reserve. Modeled after practices adopted by several African central banks, this initiative aims to build a metallic buffer that could support monetary policy and provide financial resilience during external shocks. The approach aligns with similar efforts in other resource-rich countries seeking to retain more value from their natural wealth.

Achieving this will require Sonamines to secure a steady flow of domestically produced gold. That demands cleaning up the operator landscape, offering competitive purchasing prices against informal buyers, and collaborating closely with security forces and customs at border crossings. Decisions by the Ministry of Mines on revoking permits for non-compliant operators will be pivotal in shaping the outcome.

The implementation phase of Cameroon’s mining reform is set to be complex. It must balance the need for contractual discipline, preserve informal employment opportunities, and embed gold extraction within a framework of financial sovereignty. While no official timeline has been released, the audit findings are expected to shape upcoming ministerial directives. The Sonamines CEO has indicated that additional inspection campaigns will continue across other mining basins.