The 2023 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (ITIE) report brought to light a significant disparity between the volume of gold declared and the actual quantity exported from Cameroon. In response, the government has launched a series of initiatives aimed at rectifying these critical shortcomings. The primary concern isn’t the physical loss of Cameroon’s gold but rather the substantial loss of fiscal and customs revenue that the State could have collected had these exports been conducted legally.

This situation underscores a clear principle: illegal gold exportation or smuggling directly translates into a deficit in state revenues, as applicable taxes and duties are legally mandated for collection at the source prior to any export.

As part of the government’s broader restructuring and regularization efforts, spearheaded by the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT), the State is now initiating comprehensive fiscal and customs recovery operations, both domestically and internationally. The overarching goal is to reclaim outstanding sums owed to the State by various operators who circumvented these payments between 2023 and 2025.

The internal recovery phase, set to commence on August 1st, will be executed by a joint task force comprising representatives from SONAMINES, the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI), and the General Directorate of Customs (DGD). This effort targets the recovery of lost tax and duty revenues resulting from under-declarations or complete failures to declare by companies operating within the country, leading to insufficient or absent collections by SONAMINES. Two distinct categories of companies have been identified for these actions.

The first group includes fifty-one (51) companies engaged in the physical extraction of gold, utilizing traditional methods, whose declarations were found to be significantly understated. The second category, recently uncovered by MINMIDT’s field investigations, comprises thirty-three (33) sites employing newer gold extraction technologies, whose production has never been declared, and from which no taxes have ever been collected. These concerted recovery efforts are projected to generate at least three hundred billion (300 billion) FCFA in the very near term, thereby offsetting the approximately 165 billion FCFA in revenue losses highlighted in the 2023 ITIE report.

Concurrently, an external recovery strategy is being pursued, leveraging information gathered abroad. In close collaboration with the Emirati Government, the objective is to compile a comprehensive list of individuals and corporate entities that exported gold from Cameroon between 2023 and 2026. This initiative aims to reclaim hundreds of billions of FCFA in owed fiscal revenues.

Ultimately, these dual internal and external fiscal and customs recovery streams are designed not only to recoup past revenue shortfalls but also to establish a robust and efficient collection system for the future. This new framework for managing gold production will involve an international expert company and direct collection at the source by the Tax and Customs Administrations, working in conjunction with SONAMINES. The implementation of this profound restructuring is expected to eliminate the previously noted discrepancies, ensuring that all gold exports are duly taxed and declared, regardless of the individuals or companies involved, as explained by the MINMIDT Communication Unit.