Baraza Mining Forum Puts Focus on Obstacles to Cameroon’s Mining Ambitions

Cameroon’s mining sector faces challenges that extend far beyond the discovery of mineral deposits. That message sits at the center of the second edition of the Baraza Mining Forum, which opened on June 11 in Yaoundé.

The event has brought together government officials, mining companies, investors, and industry experts to discuss the conditions needed to build a competitive and sustainable mining industry in the country.

After a first edition held in 2025 in a more limited format, organizers aim to establish the forum as an annual platform for discussions on the future of Cameroon’s mining sector. The gathering comes at a time when several mining projects, particularly in iron ore, bauxite, and gold, are moving closer to production or export phases.

According to organizers, Cameroon will not fully unlock its mining potential without addressing a series of structural constraints. These include transport infrastructure, energy supply, access to financing, governance, transparency, local content requirements, and industrial processing capacity.

These challenges are especially important for bulk minerals such as iron ore and bauxite, whose commercial viability depends heavily on rail infrastructure, port access, and adequate power supply. In an interview published ahead of the forum by Investir au Cameroun, Landry Djimpé, partner at Innogence Consulting and co-organizer of the event, said the sector’s biggest challenges are no longer purely geological.

According to Djimpé, logistics, financing, and institutional capacity have become equally important factors. Without adequate infrastructure, he argued, “even the richest ore remains a stranded resource.”

Beyond Extraction

Discussions at this year’s forum focus on the economic, legal, and financial foundations of the mining industry, as well as governance, transparency, international standards, and the practical conditions needed to support industrial development. The event comes as Cameroon seeks to increase local processing of its mineral resources.

In many cases, however, the first phase of development is still likely to involve exports of raw or partially processed minerals before more integrated industrial facilities can be established.

For organizers, one of the forum’s objectives is to identify ways to strengthen local companies, improve access to financing, and use local-content requirements to generate broader economic benefits.

A more integrated mining industry will nevertheless require substantial investment in infrastructure, energy, skills development, and governance. Those challenges remain particularly important in a sector that is still heavily influenced by artisanal mining and faces growing demands for transparency and accountability.

Amina Malloum