Cameroon has discovered 300 new mineral mines. The mineral mines were discovered across the ten regions of this Central African nation.
Among the mines discovered were sapphire, zinc, rare earth, uranium, nickel, and manganese. The discovery was made possible by a project funded by the World Bank.
According to the Cameroonian Minister for Mines and Technological Development, Dodo Ndocké, the country has increased its potential for mineral resources.
The discovery was made between 2014 and 2019 when the World Bank assisted the project in the country. As a result of the project, the central African country now boasts of 300 new mining sites after exploration operations.
The minister of mines made this known during a press conference before the Cameroon International Mining Exposition in Yaoundé.
These sites were discovered in the East, the West, the North, the Centre and in Adamaoua.
The minerals discovered on these sites are extensive. They range from gold, zinc, rare earth, uranium, nickel and rutile to manganese.
The goal of these projects is to evaluate the country’s actual mining potential. Before the project, only 40% of the country’s territory had been checked for mining resources.
The big question on the lips of critics, however, is whether the discovery will help reduce the crisis in the country.
The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War, or the Cameroonian Civil War, is a conflict in the Southern Cameroons region of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem.
What started as a struggle for equality and justice by citizens of southern Cameroon has spiraled into a full-blown crisis.
Rebel groups seeking an end to what they consider domination of the Anglophone south by the francophone north have taken up weapons against the government’s security forces. The crisis has led to the deaths of hundreds while many more are forced from their homes.
We can only hope that this good news which opens more revenue channels for the country helps to unite it, rather than tear it apart.
Header Image Credit: Africanews