Mbalam-Nabeba Iron Ore project: Prof Fuh Calistus launches effective start of technical works.

Population accords warm welcome to Minister Fuh Calistus

According to the minister, these will ensure that Cameroon becomes an iron ore exporting country from 2024.
“So we are very happy today that we have reached a milestone. As we leave here, work will continue and we believe that in the next six months, iron ore from this project will be ready for export,” Prof Fuh stated.
“We have technically launched the open pit mine of this project and as we leave here, work starts. This will join SINOSTEEL and Grand-Zambi to complete what the President of the Republic instructed us to do,” he added. 
The project will see the construction of an iron ore enrichment plant, a mineral terminal at the Kribi Autonomous Port, metallurgical steel industry and a 450-km railway line from Nabeba in Congo passing through Mbalam to Kribi for the transportation of iron ore.

Minister and entourage being welcomed by traditional authorities, political class

While assuring that a similar launch exercise will be performed in Congo in the coming weeks, Prof Fuh Calistus mentioned that the effective start of works for the project comes on the heels of a recent mission to Congo between him and the transport minister. 
“The advantage of what we have done today is that it gives us a strong negotiating power to complete the arrangement of financing, because the project has started and we know that there is the mining section and the Kribi Port Terminal,” he said. 
With the construction of the railway phase of the project yet to be launched, Prof Fuh said during the early years of the project, the iron ore will be transported to the Kribi port for exportation via road networks. 
“We condition any export of iron ore by road till when the railway project would have been launched. It will take five years to build but the company can survive and build a good financial portfolio by initial exportations by road,” the minister averred. 

Minister backing rich iron ore deposit as CMC engineers make presentation of project

He, however, warned that: “We don’t want to develop bad habits where the company will feel comfortable and we will not build the railway. So, we can say that we will export and once we finish all the projects and the railway project is signed and the financing available and the foundation is laid,” he noted. 
The minister is expected, in the coming weeks to lead a delegation to China to finalise some financial arrangements towards the project.

Communities to benefit
Addressing the population of the area led by their traditional rulers, the minister said the new Mining Code recently passed by the parliament and promulgated into law by the President of the Republic, guarantees several advantages for the immediate population in the surrounding areas of the project. 
The advantages, he said, will be spread across social and economic aspects of the community. 
“The President has just promulgated the law of 2023 which we defended at the parliament. That law gives a lot of advantages and protection for the local communities,” Prof Fuh stated, adding that “royalties that are paid, will be uniquely paid to the Ngoyla Council and this is a lot of money which is in billions of FCFA”.
“Unlike petroleum royalties which are paid to the state, mining royalties are paid to the locality where activity is taking place. The law protects and gives priority to the people from here in terms of jobs, and infrastructure,” he added.  

Enter CMC boss
On his part, the Director General of CMC, Hong, expressed delight to see the launch of the works for the project. He then declared his team’s commitment to see that works unfold smoothly with some equipment already deployed to the project site. 
Due to the nature of the naturally enriched iron deposit, he said the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore project will be mined in two phases, with the first phase to last for over ten years, with an estimated export of 12 million tonnes of iron per year from Mbalam and 23 million tonnes of iron per year from Nabeba.

Prof Fuh signing document marking start of technical works of project

Population declares support for project
During the event, the view of the population towards the project was presented by both municipal and traditional authorities of the land. 
The Mayor of Ngoyla, Nkpwalla Wilfried, drummed support for the project, which, he said, has been long awaited. 
He further highlighted the huge potential of the project towards his municipality.  
“It has an enormous socio-economic impact and it was long awaited as it will create job opportunities for the youth of Ngoyla,” he said. 
“Like the minister mentioned, all the youth of Ngoyla who a qualified will have a job here. Our women who are into agriculture and livestock will easily sell their produce at this project. Those in petty business and other sectors will have their fair share of the spinoffs of this project,” the mayor declared.  

CMC DG signing document marking start of technical works of project

At the level of the council, the mayor assured that they will leave no stone unturned in order to be better prepared to squarely face the anticipated economic boom.
In the same vein, the traditional ruler of Ngoyla North Canton, His Majesty Zo’om Jean, speaking on behalf of the collective of traditional rulers of the area, said they have a lot of expectations from the project, reason they have invoked their ancestors to ensure it is a success. 
“Our expectations are enormous in the social and other domains. We believe that with the effective start of this project, all will go on smoothly as we have invoked our ancestors to follow this project,” His Majesty Zo’om told The Guardian Post.

The mining project, being executed by the Cameroon Mining Company, CMC, is found at the border between Cameroon’s South Region and the Republic of Congo’s northern region.
The member of government flagged off the project, for the Cameroonian section, during a ceremony at the mining site in Mbalam, located in the Ngoyla municipality, in Upper Nyong Division, East Region.
The ceremony, Friday December 22, was graced by the presence of Governors of East and South Regions, Gregoire Mvongo and Felix Nguele Nguele respectively, as well as East Region elite, Minister Joseph Le of Public Service and Administrative Reforms. 
Speaking at the event, the interim Mines Minister said the ceremony was organised in pursuance of the instruction of the Head of State, for three mining projects, notably the Mbalam-Nabeba, the Kribi-Lolabe, and the Bipindi-Grand-Zambi iron ore mining projects. 
Besides these three key projects, the minister said a bonus project in Colomine, Lom and Djerem Division of the East Region has equally been kick-started by the Codias Company for the exploitation of gold.