Cameroon’s state mining company Sonamines has launched an international call for expressions of interest to find technical and financial partners to revive the Akonolinga rutile project, following the withdrawal of French mining group Eramet. The process was opened on January 9, 2026, with interested companies given until March 31, 2026, to submit applications at Sonamines’ headquarters in Yaoundé.
The Akonolinga project, located in the Center region, was initially developed by Eramet but was abandoned in October 2023 for economic and environmental reasons. In a statement dated October 26, 2023, the group said that after four years of exploration, feasibility studies showed that the project did not meet the economic conditions required to support a responsible and profitable industrial operation.
According to Eramet, the low rutile grade and limited thickness of the deposit—combined with a projected output of around 35,000 tons per year over just five years—would require what it described as very high levels of investment. The group also pointed to the cost of managing water and ultrafine particles that could affect the environment, further weakening the project’s financial viability. Loïse Tamalgo, managing director of Eramet Cameroon and the group’s Africa representative, said no investor would commit €180 million, more than CFA118 billion, to earn only about €30 million, less than CFA20 billion, over five or six years.
Despite Eramet’s assessment, the Cameroonian government wants to take back control of the project through Sonamines and pursue new studies. Sonamines chief executive Serge Hervé Boyogueno has said the state miner intends to conduct its own analyses with new partners, arguing that Eramet’s conclusions were based on its internal standards and chosen mining methods.
In an interview with Investir au Cameroun in September 2024, Boyogueno acknowledged the environmental risks highlighted by Eramet but said these concerns could be reassessed under different technical approaches. He stressed that relaunching the project does not mean moving directly into production without additional preparatory work, adding that fresh studies would allow Sonamines to make an informed decision on the project’s future.
Sonamines is therefore seeking a structured restart of the Akonolinga project, beginning with partner selection and further exploration, before determining whether the deposit can be developed under conditions that meet environmental requirements while remaining economically viable.
BRM
