Mines: Cameroon Targets Increased Gold Revenue in 2027

This policy direction, however, runs up against structural failings in the traceability chain, characterized by inconsistencies in retrocessions to local communities, opacity in the accounting of Sonamines levies, and major discrepancies over export volumes.

Work by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) highlights traceability breaks between collection at source and actual remittance to riparian municipalities. In 2023, the National Mining Company (Sonamines) levied 269.12 kg of gold under the discharging synthetic mining tax and the exit duty, valued at 10.29 billion CFA francs. However, the oversight body notes the absence of supporting documentation attesting to the actual transfer of local shares. This institutional grey area is compounded by legal uncertainties arising from the coexistence of a July 2025 ministerial order allocating 5% of royalties to the host mining municipality and the 2026 General Tax Code which stipulates a 25% allocation.

The legal framework does provide for a 25% levy on the gross output of semi-mechanized artisanal mining, integrating the 5% ad valorem domain royalty, the State's 17.8% share, and the corporate income tax prepayment. Clarifying the calculation criteria and reconciling the regulatory texts thus stand as an indispensable prerequisite to ensure the fair redistribution of royalties to affected populations.

Beyond internal fiscal arbitration, the gold sector faces massive capital flight outside official channels. Analytical data published by the EITI International Secretariat reveal a staggering gap between the 22.3 kg of gold declared for export by Cameroon in 2023 and the 15 tonnes of imports recorded the same year by the United Arab Emirates originating from Cameroonian territory. This traceability breach is confirmed in recent operational reports. Sonamines indicated during its discussions with buying counters in March 2026 that no volume of gold had passed through regulated export channels during the 2025 fiscal year.

Plugging these capital leaks and securing customs borders now condition Yaoundé's ability to transform national mining potential into effective budget revenue for 2027.

Nlend Flore