On July 4, 2026, the debate over Cameroonian gold resurfaced, led by lawyer and politician Christian Ntimbane Bomo. He points to Ghana, which, after a severe crisis, turned its mineral into a growth engine. “Why shouldn’t Cameroon do the same?” he asks, recalling that the neighboring country rebounded thanks to a strict state policy on gold.
According to Bomo, the mining law and the decree that created SONAMINES already require any private individual who extracts gold to sell it to the state for export. He stresses that this rule is not a constraint but an opportunity: each ounce of gold becomes a source of foreign exchange, each transaction generates substantial taxes for public coffers.
“A lot of money will flow back to Cameroon in foreign currency. The state will collect large taxes. Public funds will be replenished. Then we can launch major infrastructure projects, triple wages…,” the lawyer asserts. He says the stakes go beyond mere fiscal gain: it is about financing roads, hospitals and raising the living standards of millions of Cameroonians.
The Ghana comparison is central. In September 2022, Ghana’s total debt stood at $55 billion, more than double Cameroon’s debt, estimated at 15 trillion CFA francs. This overload led rating agencies to downgrade the country, cutting off access to international markets. Ghana was then on the brink of default.
Three years later, Ghana turned the tide. Public coffers were refilled, large infrastructure projects multiplied, and major initiatives resumed. Bomo uses this rebound as proof that centralized gold management can be a lever for economic recovery, even after a deep crisis.
For Cameroon, the lesson is clear: allowing private individuals to sell gold abroad means losing a potential windfall of foreign exchange and tax revenue. By entrusting commercialization to SONAMINES, the country could secure monetary flows, prevent capital flight, and ensure an equitable redistribution of mining profits.
Bomo’s appeal ends with a call for civic action. “Every responsible Cameroonian must demand an outright ban on private sales of our gold abroad,” he concludes. If civil society and policymakers seize this opportunity, the yellow metal could become the foundation of a new era of prosperity for Cameroon.
