Yaounde to host over 50 ministers for int’l mining convention.

The international event, to hold from May 22 to 24, will also pull investors, business operators, insurers, lawyers, laboratories, environmentalists, industrialists and other mining stakeholders from home and abroad. 

This announcement was made during a press briefing Wednesday, by the Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry. 

The presser was also attended by the Head of the European Union Delegation to Cameroon and the Equatorial Guinea Ambassador to Yaounde, Jean-Marc Chataigner.

The international convention has been placed under the theme: “From the transition of geological potential to the production of mining deposits as a means of strengthening economic growth in the Sub-region”.

The CIMEC, scheduled for the Yaounde Conference Centre, will hold simultaneously with the Council of Ministers of Mines of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, OACP, at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel.

Speaking at yesterday’s presser, Minister Fuh Calistus said CIMEC is going to be a historic convention, not just for Cameroon but the Subregion.  

“This is the first time we are having an international mining convention which will see the presence of more than 50 ministers with more than 30 coming from different countries,” the member of government said. 

CIMEC catalyst for growth, boost to import-substitution

According to Prof Fuh Calistus, the mining sector, through the dual events, will act as a catalyst for structural change in the economy and a significant base for the strategic definition of Cameroon’s import-substitution policies. 

He further assured that both events will make Yaounde a place to do business, with over 100 countries expected to feel the impact. 

Cameroon’s elaborate package ready

He added that Cameroon has prepared a very elaborate package of five points, notably: the presentation of mining licences; new spaces available for new the mining methods, the carbon in leach system; presentation of anomalies realised by the World Bank; 15 mining projects in Cameroon with four already started as well as seek for international partners to conduct aeromagnetic surveys in the South West, North West and Far North Regions, after they were omitted during previous surveys of the World Bank. 

“There are exploration licences which have not been exploited. However, we have new zones that we have carved out with 3,000square KM for semi-mechanised mining,” he said, adding that “the disorder that we see today will be out because that sector is reserve strictly for local people who will be accompanied by the Minister of Mines in their endeavours”.

EU strategic partner

The member of government also indicated that the European Union, EU, will play a key role during the strategic event, with a policy of promoting energy transition with the aim of decarbonising its economies. 

“More specifically, the aim is to move away from ‘carbon-based’ and polluting energies such as oil, natural gas and coal, to cleaner and safer energies such as solar (thermal or photovoltaic), wind, hydro, geothermal and tidal power; biomass is also often included in the proposed energy mix,” he declared. 

With Europe’s heavily dependent on imports for supplies of critical metals, he said the EU Commission has proposed a comprehensive set of measures to guarantee her access to a secure, diversified, affordable and sustainable supply of critical raw materials. 

“Thirty-four critical raw materials have been identified as essential for a wide range of strategic sectors, including net-zero industry, digital industry, aerospace and defence,” he asserted.

Energy transition

According to the minister, more than 75% of the mineral reserves critical to the energy transition and to achieving the ‘zero net emissions’ target set by the planet by 2050, are held by the member countries of the OACP.

“By way of illustration, the African continent alone holds 85% of the world's manganese reserves, 80% of its platinum and chromium reserves and 47% of its cobalt reserves,” Prof Fuh added.  

In view of conducting negotiations leading to a win-win outcome for all, he averred that OACP experts recently met in Lusaka, Zambia, to draw up a technical opinion on the issue of cooperation between the EU and the OACP on the strategic development of minerals critical to the energy transition.

To achieve the objective of carbon neutrality, he emphasised the needs identified since 2010 have already increased by 50% in 10 years, and will be multiplied by six between 2020 and 2040. 

“These increases are mainly due to the needs of electric vehicles, which use six times more minerals than conventional vehicles, and storage batteries, followed by electricity grids, photovoltaic solar energy and wind power. Lithium requirements will increase 42-fold between 2020 and 2040, graphite requirements 25-fold, cobalt 21-fold, nickel 19-fold and rare earths 7-fold,” he added. 

Despite the rich potential in mineral resources by the OACP states, he acknowledged the challenges that entail for an effective local transformation.