Cameroon - Mining

While Cameroon has steadily increased its oil production, the discovery and exploitation of other mineral resources have been slow. Bauxite deposits, in the Minam and Martap regions, were estimated at 1 billion tons. Iron deposits containing an estimated 200 million tons have been discovered south of Kribi.

Other mineral deposits included diamonds, tin, gold, mica, marble, columbo-tantalite, silica sand, cassiterite, lignite, and rutile. Gold, the sole commercially exploited mineral, yielded 1000 kg in 2000 and engaged 15,000 small-scale artisanal miners, mostly in the eastern part of the country. Limestone production was 50,000 tons in 2000, and production of pozzolana, a rock used in cement, was 90,000 tons.