Cameroon gold scandal: lawyer Sikati accuses ministers of ‘magical’ practices
The political bureau member of Cameroon’s Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), led by Maurice Kamto, has sharply criticized a recent press briefing by the interim Minister of Mines.
Cameroon’s interim Mining Minister faces criticism over gold scandal
During a press conference in Yaoundé on July 15, 2026, the interim Minister of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry, firmly denied any theft or disappearance of gold belonging to Cameroon’s state reserves.
This official statement, delivered alongside Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi, aimed to quell growing controversy surrounding a reported fiscal shortfall of nearly 2,000 billion FCFA.
The government clarified that the crisis stems not from public fund embezzlement but from large-scale fraud by private operators. Mining companies are accused of underreporting actual gold extraction volumes.
The state is experiencing a drastic decline in revenue from the synthetic mining tax and export duties. A 2023 report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) revealed a massive discrepancy: Cameroon declared only 22 kg of gold exports, while UAE customs recorded 15 tons.
The National Mining Company (Sonamines) estimates that approximately 44 tons of gold have bypassed formal channels between 2021 and 2025. To combat this trafficking and clean up the gold sector, Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry announced immediate reforms, including the deployment of a permanent field team combining Sonamines, the General Tax Directorate, and Customs.
This team will conduct direct on-site inspections at production sites. Plans also include hiring an international expert to assess the true potential of deposits and impose a minimum taxation independent of operators’ declarations.
Me Sikati’s response
SOME CAMEROONIAN MINISTERS ARE TRUE MAGICIANS
Cameroon’s Minister of Mines is named FUH CALISTUS.
He was appointed to replace his predecessor, Gabriel Dodo Ndoke, who passed away under suspicious and still-unresolved circumstances.
During yesterday’s press conference, Fuh Calistus stated that “there has been no disappearance of state-owned gold.”
The gold trafficking scandal in Cameroon has dominated headlines both locally and internationally.
It’s important to note that the minister did not deny the disappearance of gold altogether.
Instead, he implied that gold belonging to the Cameroonian state has not vanished.
This leads me to ask: Who, then, owns all the gold whose disappearance has been exposed?
I remind everyone that, according to Cameroon’s Mining Code, subsoil minerals and gold belong to the Cameroonian state.
Perhaps the minister believes—alongside some misguided individuals—that despite clear legal provisions, Cameroonian gold belongs to private entities.
In reality, these officials are not here to serve Cameroon. They are here to serve their own interests.
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