The 2023 ITIE report highlighted a troubling disparity between the quantities of gold declared and those actually exported from Cameroon. In response, the government has launched a series of corrective actions. These measures aim not at recovering physically lost gold, but rather at recouping the substantial fiscal and customs revenues that the state should have collected from these exports had they been conducted legally.

The equation is clear: illegal gold exports, or smuggling, directly translate into significant losses for the state’s coffers. By law, all applicable taxes and duties must be collected at the source before any gold leaves the country.

As part of a broader restructuring and regularization drive spearheaded by the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT), the state is initiating both internal and external fiscal and customs recovery operations. The primary objective is to reclaim the outstanding amounts owed to the state by various operators who evaded these payments between 2023 and 2025.

The internal recovery phase, set to commence on August 1st, will be led by a joint team comprising representatives from SONAMINES, the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI), and the General Directorate of Customs (DGD). This initiative targets revenue shortfalls resulting from under-declared or undeclared gold, which led to insufficient or absent tax collection by SONAMINES from companies operating within Cameroon. Two distinct categories of companies have been identified for this purpose.

The first group includes fifty-one (51) companies that engaged in physical gold extraction, a method traditionally used, whose declarations were found to be understated. The second category, recently uncovered by MINMIDT, involves thirty-three (33) sites employing newer gold extraction technologies, whose production had never been declared, leading to a complete absence of tax collection. These concerted recovery efforts are projected to generate at least three hundred (300) billion FCFA in the short term, effectively offsetting the approximately 165 billion FCFA in revenue losses highlighted by the 2023 ITIE report.

Concurrently, an external recovery initiative is underway, leveraging information gathered internationally. In cooperation with the Emirati Government, authorities aim to compile a comprehensive list of individuals and legal entities that exported gold from Cameroon between 2023 and 2026. This collaboration is crucial for recovering hundreds of billions of FCFA in outstanding tax revenues.

Ultimately, these dual internal and external fiscal and customs recovery strategies will enable the state to not only reclaim past revenues but also establish a robust system for efficient future collection. This new framework involves engaging an international expert company and implementing direct collection at the source by the Fiscal and Customs Administrations, working in tandem with SONAMINES. This comprehensive restructuring is designed to eliminate the discrepancies previously observed, ensuring that all gold exports are properly declared and taxed, regardless of the individuals or companies involved.