Introduction
Cameroon’s mining sector — historically dominated by small-scale and artisanal production — is positioned for industrial-scale development, with bauxite, iron ore, rutile, diamond and gold resources across the national territory. The regulatory foundation for that development changed at the end of 2023: Law No. 2023/014 of 19 December 2023 instituted the new Mining Code, replacing Law No. 2016/017 of 14 December 2016.
The licensing framework
The Mining Code administers the sector through a graduated licence structure — reconnaissance, exploration and mining authorisations — alongside separate regimes for artisanal and semi-industrial mining and for quarry materials. The Ministry in charge of mines grants and administers rights, with the framework implemented through implementing regulations that investors should track as they are adopted. Rights under the previous code require attention to transitional provisions.
State participation, local content and communities
The direction of the reform — consistent with regional trends — is towards greater state and local benefit: state participation in project vehicles, local-content and local-processing expectations, and obligations towards host communities, including environmental and rehabilitation duties. Investors should model these obligations into project economics at feasibility stage, not at construction stage.
Practical compliance considerations
Mining projects in Cameroon engage multiple regulatory regimes at once: land access (under the 1974 land tenure ordinances), environmental assessment and permitting, exchange control for offshore funding and repatriation under CEMAC rules, and — where disputes arise — the option of arbitration under OHADA law. A single integrated compliance map across these regimes is the most reliable way to protect a project’s licence value.
Conclusion
The 2023 Mining Code raises the bar for planning and compliance, but it also signals a clearer, more structured framework for serious investors. ALPs advises on mining licence acquisition, joint ventures and regulatory compliance in Cameroon’s extractive sector.
