Cameroon, Congo take Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore project to next level.

Minister Fuh Calistus taking part in technical launch as others watch on

The governments of Cameroon and Republic of Congo have taken another giant step geared towards seeing the fruition of the Mbalam-Nabeba Iron Ore Project. This follows the technical launch of the Nabeba iron ore deposit project as part of the mega cross-border project worth billions of FCFA in revenue and iron ore deposits.

This comes after the technical in Mbalam, Cameroon, last December 2023.

The ceremony took place in Souanké, in the Sangha Region, Wednesday May 8. Authorities from both countries took part in the official ceremony. 

The integrating project, officials said, will position Cameroon and Congo as the fifth largest iron production pool in the world, and will generate over twenty thousand direct jobs in both countries

The project estimated at hundreds of millions of tonnes is fruits of sustained efforts made by President Paul Biya of Cameroon and his counterpart Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville.

Cameroon’s delegation at the official ceremony was led by the Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry. 

He was accompanied by the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Massena Ngale Bibehe. 

Also present at the ceremony was the consortium of Chinese companies responsible for developing the iron ore. The CEO of Bestway Finance Ltd, the Prefect of Sangha, Congo, representatives of the Chinese investor consortium, the Ambassadors of Congo to Cameroon and Cameroon to Congo respectively, and the Mayor of Souanke, lived the ceremony. 

Congolese Minister of State, Minister of Mining Industries and Geology, Pierre Oba, presided over the ceremony. 

He lauded the Heads of State of both countries for tirelessly to bring to fruition the cross-border mining projects for which Cameroon and Congo have such high hopes, and which are the pride of the active cooperation between both nations.   

 

 

Enter Minister Fuh Calistus 

In his address, Minister Fuh Calistus said both Cameroon and Congo have decided to unite their common destinies, in the realisation of the largest cross-border mining project in Central Africa, bringing many hopes and significant economic, financial and technical benefits. 

He said with the start of solid mine in these two countries opens the way for new investors in the CEMAC region. 

He said the two iron ore deposits of Nabeba and Mbalam are to be mined jointly, so that internationally, the ore has a single identity. 

The imminent start of production at the Nabeba mine, Minister Fuh Calistus said, will boost the industrial component of Congo's 2022-2026 National Development Plan. 

The construction of the Nabeba mine, Prof Calistus added, will be the start of a long series of mining units in the country in particular and in the CEMAC zone. 

“After Nabeba, the Badondo and Avima mines will follow,” he said, adding that in Cameroon, the start-up of the Nabeba mining deposit opens the way to the implementation of major infrastructure projects contained in the National Development Strategy 2020-2030. 

He used the opportunity to invite Congo to the twofold upcoming events organised by the government of Cameroon; Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, OEACP, and the fourth edition of the Cameroon International Mining and Exhibition Convention, CIMEC 2024. 

Officials from both countries & Chinese officials during field visit 

 

 

 

 

Benefits of projects cross-border project 

Both countries, through the project, aim to foster the regional integration already experienced by the populations of the brotherly and friendly countries thanks to the movement of people and goods between the two states on the Congo-Kribi corridor. This, officials added, will create a breeding ground for a wide range of income-generating and job-creating activities. 

The exploitation of this cross-border iron ore deposit in these two countries will enable millions of people to benefit from the spin-offs through accelerated, sustainable, real and controlled development, both in terms of induced economic activities and financial and fiscal dividends, not forgetting the opening-up of communities and localities.

Cameroon, through the project, intends to pursue the multimodal interconnection of certain regions of its territory by rail, in order to eventually provide all localities with modern communication routes. 

In addition to the 540-kilometre railroad line that will enable iron ore to be transported from Mbalam to Cameroon via the Port Autonome de Kribi (PAK), this also includes the construction of a Mineral Terminal with an annual processing capacity of 125 million tonnes of iron ore.

 

 

Components of the project 

The cross-border project, it should be said, has four main components which is well on the way to becoming the world's 5th largest production pool. 

The project includes the start-up of the Nabeba iron ore mine, the start of construction of the railway from Nabeba to the authority port of Kribi via Mbalam, which is 540 km long.

It also includes the start of construction of the mineral terminal at the authority port of Kribi and the processing of the iron ore extracted from the mine for direct use by industry.

The economic model put forward by the Bestway Finance Limited consortium and its partners has attracted an investment of 10 billion dollars with no impact on the treasuries of the two States. 

The two brotherly and friendly states are planning to blend their minerals to create a unique identity for the sub-region, with the creation of more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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