Yaounde hosts the second International Mining Conference and Exhibition on May 27.

Cameroon will from this Wednesday May 27, 2015 play host to an international mining conference during which it will showcase its huge mineral potentials with the hope of attracting viable investors for their sustainable development. Cameroon International Mining Conference and Exhibition (CIMEC), as it is called, will bring together government representatives, major mining companies, project managers and international consultants.

Placed under the patronage of the Head of State, the three-day mining show organized by the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development will hold at the Yaounde Conference Centre on the theme, “Developing Central Africa’s Sustainable Mining Sector.” For three days, participants will besides showcasing their prowess in mining-related activities also listen to presentations on development made in the mining industry in Cameroon as well as share their experiences with the mining industry in Central Africa.

According to a note on the stakes and challenges of this year’s CIMEC after the first one in 2013, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Dr Fuh Calistus Gentry, who is also Secretary of State in the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, said much is in the offing. The event, he notes, will permit participants to learn about the potentials of Cameroon’s subsoil and network with decision-makers in government circles and international mining industries. It will also serve as a forum to discuss and debate on pressing issues facing Cameroon’s mining sector, promote the activities of participants and how they can liaise with government to transform the huge potentials into development opportunities. Existing legal and regulatory instruments to support investments in the mining sector will also be amply explained to the participants drawn from far and near. 

Organisers generally want to let the world know, through the Yaounde forum, the huge potentials of the country in terms of mining, the state of advancement of mining projects as well as bring in investors who will take up new ventures in the unexplored territory. A wide-range of experts from around the globe will interact with Cameroon’s geologists and other mining experts in the country to get them abreast with current mining trends in the world. It will also be an opportunity for companies that are advanced in their mining development to showcase their findings. Reason why there are stands at the forum site for companies to exhibit their products with hope that at the end of the day, investors would have found reason to partner with government for win-win investments in the sector.

Cameroon is said to have huge mineral potentials notably iron ore, bauxite gold, manganese, nickel, cobalt, diamond and uranium, among others. Exploration is ongoing to uncover the rest of the over 50 per cent national territory whose mineral contents are yet to be known.