Cameroon’s Minim Martap Project Enters Final Stretch Before First Bauxite Exports

Canyon Resources has refined the timeline for bringing its Minim Martap bauxite project in Cameroon’s Adamawa region into production.

The Australian junior miner, which is developing the deposit through its local subsidiary Camalco, now expects its first shipment of bauxite by the end of the third quarter of 2026, placing initial exports around late September. Before reaching that milestone, the company must complete a logistics network linking the mine to the rail system and the Port of Douala.

According to the latest update from Canyon Resources, the first seven locomotives assigned to the project are expected to arrive at the Port of Douala by the end of the second quarter of 2026. The first railcars are scheduled to arrive in July, ahead of the start of commercial exports.

Rail equipment is a central part of the project. Camalco has ordered 22 diesel locomotives from Chinese manufacturer CRRC Ziyang Co. Ltd. The company has also placed an initial order for 560 open-top railcars with India’s Texmaco Rail & Engineering Limited, with an option to acquire an additional 1,040 cars over the next five years. The fleet will transport bauxite from Minim Martap to the Port of Douala, the project’s planned export gateway.

Logistics Become the Key Test

The project relies on an integrated logistics chain. Canyon Resources says rail installation work has already started at the inland rail facility, while earthworks are underway at the Port of Douala. The company plans to build bauxite stockpiles at the mine site, the rail terminal, and the port before loading its first export vessel.

That logistics strategy also explains Canyon Resources’ decision to increase its stake in Camrail, the operator of Cameroon’s rail network. The Australian company has raised its ownership interest to 26.9% in an effort to secure access to the transport corridor linking Adamawa to Douala.

Investments in rolling stock, rail infrastructure, and port facilities are expected to total around CFA252.6 billion. Canyon Resources describes Minim Martap as one of the world’s largest undeveloped bauxite projects. The deposit hosts about 1.1 billion tons of mineral resources and 144 million tons of ore reserves.

Ore quality is one of the project’s main selling points. The company reports alumina content of about 51% and silica levels of around 2%, characteristics that are highly valued by alumina refiners. The timetable is strategically important for Cameroon. First bauxite exports would mark the start of a new phase in the country’s mining industry after years of technical, financial, and logistical preparation.

However, the September 2026 target remains dependent on the delivery of rail equipment, progress on rail and port infrastructure, and Canyon’s ability to build sufficient stockpiles before the first shipment leaves port. Beyond the launch of exports, the next challenge will be scaling up production. The project is designed to ramp up output gradually over time.

For Cameroon, the long-term success of Minim Martap will depend as much on the quality of the deposit as on the reliability of the logistics corridor connecting the mine, the rail network, and the Port of Douala.

Ludovic Amara