When the 2023 ITIE report revealed significant gaps between Cameroon’s declared gold reserves and actual exports, the government recognized not just a loss of mineral resources but a critical shortfall in potential tax and customs revenue that should have been collected before export.

measures launched to recover lost revenue

The Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT) has initiated both internal and external audits to reclaim unpaid taxes and customs duties from gold operators spanning 2023 to 2025. These audits target underreported production and undeclared operations that previously evaded state collection through the National Mining Corporation (SONAMINES).

two categories of offenders identified

• Fifty-one companies that physically extracted gold but significantly underreported their production volumes in declarations.
• Thirty-three additional sites discovered using modern extraction methods whose entire production had never been declared or taxed, representing a newly identified challenge in gold sector compliance.

These combined audits are expected to recover at least 300 billion FCFA in back taxes, addressing the 165 billion FCFA revenue gap highlighted in the 2023 ITIE report.

international collaboration to trace smuggled gold

In parallel, Cameroon is working with authorities in the United Arab Emirates to identify individuals and entities that imported gold from Cameroon between 2023 and 2026. This cooperation aims to recover hundreds of billions in FCFA in unpaid export duties that left the country illegally.

building a sustainable gold sector

The dual approach—domestic audits and international cooperation—will not only recover past losses but also establish stronger controls for the future. A new monitoring system now requires real-time production tracking through an international auditing firm, with direct tax and customs collection at the source by SONAMINES alongside fiscal authorities. These reforms ensure that all gold exports are fully documented and taxed before leaving Cameroon, eliminating the loopholes that previously enabled smuggling.

The MINMIDT communications team emphasized that this restructuring guarantees transparent and accountable gold production, preventing future discrepancies regardless of exporter identity or production scale.