Cameroon Loses CFA2 Trillion to Gold Smuggling in Five Years

Cameroon has lost an estimated CFA2 trillion in gold revenue over the past five years as large quantities of the precious metal were smuggled out of the country, according to the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development.

A report presented by the ministry shows that between 2021 and 2025, only 1.9 tonnes of gold were officially declared for export, while 44.3 tonnes were exported through illegal channels. The illicit trade is estimated to have cost the State CFA577.51 billion in unpaid taxes.

The figures for 2025 alone underscore the scale of the problem. Authorities said 8.4 tonnes of gold left the country without any customs declaration. The undeclared exports were valued at CFA514.9 billion, with an estimated CFA153.2 billion in tax revenue lost.

The report traces the trend back to 2021, when just 73 kilogrammes of gold were officially declared despite records showing exports of 5.6 tonnes, highlighting long-standing weaknesses in monitoring and revenue collection.

The revelations come as government steps up efforts to sanitise the mining sector. Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Fuh Calistus Gentry, said previous assessments revealed that between 80 and 90 per cent of gold produced by semi-mechanised miners escaped official collection before recent reforms.

As part of the crackdown, authorities have identified more than 200 illegal mining operators, initiated legal proceedings against 137 companies, and revoked over 70 semi-mechanised mining permits pending compliance reviews.

Government has also launched a tax recovery operation and is introducing new traceability measures aimed at aligning production and export data, curbing illicit gold trade, and safeguarding public revenue.