Extractive Industries: Mines minister unveils roadmap to regain EITI status.

It seeks to address key governance issues in the extractive sectors. 

It should be recalled that Cameroon was suspended from the EITI on March 1, 2024, during an EITI Board meeting in Oslo, Norway. 

Then, the organisation said it was due to insufficient progress in civil society engagement and government constraints on civil society’s freedoms of expression and association.

However, during a meeting of the Cameroon National Committee of EITI, Wednesday May 7 in Yaounde, the interim mines minister assured that the country is currently implementing a roadmap to regain its place at the EITI; as a champion of transparency in Africa.

Yesterday's meeting was attended by visiting officials from the EITI international secretariat; Nassim Bennani and Ahmed Zouari, EITI Regional Director and Advisor for Francophone Africa, the Middle-East and North Africa, respectively.

The meeting, which brought together stakeholders from the extractive sector in Cameroon, also had in attendance representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Presidency of the Republic. 

“We have 20 points on which we are working on and we believe that in a very short time Cameroon will come back into the fold to take it rightful place as the champion of transparency in Africa,” Minister Fuh Calistus said.

The visiting EITI officials, have so far met in separate meetings with key stakeholders in the extractive industries notably ministers of finance and mines, civil society as well as officials of the National Mining Corporation, SONAMINES, and the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, SNH. 

“For the past two days, we are very happy that the international secretariat was in our country. They were able to meet all the interested partners. After these meetings, they are pleased with the progress that Cameroon is making to address all the issues that led to the suspension,” he stated. 

Visiting team please with progress

According to the minister, some points of the roadmap have already pleased the visiting international secretariat, these measures include; the issue of separation powers in the issuance of permits, handling of artisanal mining and a host of other innovations in its mining policies. 

“There’s separation of powers with the ministry of mines based on elaborating mining policy. While SONAMINE deals with commercialisation of mining products, SNH deals with commercialisation of petroleum products,” the member of government explained.

Difference between mining, petroleum sectors

Besides the separation of powers which is aimed at promoting transparency, he explained the difference in the petroleum and mining sectors.

“People must understand the difference between mining and the petroleum sectors. Mining is started by small people and when they find something big then what Cameroonians should look at is who’s going to develop that big thing not who started” he added. 

He further explained that what citizens should be keen on is the mining convention, with focus on the person to carry out the project than who started the project. 

“The mining industry is a stratum where you start with juniors and end with some of the largest blocks in the world,” he added.

He equally stressed that because of the country’s attractive mining model, mining giants like Rio Tinto have taken interest to invest in Cameroon.

Going by the minister, Rio Tinto, world’s second largest mining company, has initiated interest in Cameroon after the country ticked four criteria of stability, potential, legislation and geological data. 

EITI leader assesses Cameroon’s progress

Speaking to the press after the meeting, the EITI Regional Director for Francophone Africa, the Middle-East and North Africa, Nassim Bennani clarified that though Cameroon was suspended during the last validation meeting, the country remains a member of the EITI initiative as it was suspended on temporal basis. 

With the next validation meeting of the EITI expected in 2027, the EITI Regional Director said it’s too early to make an evaluation of the progress made by the country so far.

After discussion with the entire stakeholders, Bennani said it was important for them to understand what has been done since the last validation, notably in the implementation of corrective actions that were made during the last validation.

“It was also important for us to take part in this meeting today of the National Committee of EITI, which is the fundamental organ which manages the implementation of initiatives or programmes in Cameroon,” he said. 

EITI national committee

The national committee, which comprises representatives of government, companies and civil society, serves as a platform that ensures multi-stakeholders dialogue based on viable data on the extractive sector.

Going by Bennani, the national committee will help in the transparency drive and ameliorate governance of the extractive sector.

Towards lifting suspension

Quizzed on the possibilities of Cameroon being reinstated during the next validation meeting base on the progress made so far, Bennani said the suspension of Cameroon can effectively be lifted if Cameroon react positively to the corrective measures that were recommended. 

“These are sufficient progress that may satisfy the international board members of EITI that tangible progress are being made… I am satisfied already with the engagement taken by Cameroon during this mission to continue with the corrective measures in order to satisfy the international board of EITI,” Bennani stated.