(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroonian mining company Jam’s Avenir is threatening to take legal action after it was excluded from the Kambele gold site in the country’s East Region.
“We will not hesitate to use all legal means at our disposal. We will necessarily end up in court,” the company’s lawyer said, calling the decision “unexpected and contrary to legal procedures.”
According to Jam’s Avenir, the Ministry of Mines did not officially notify them of the decision. “We learnt of the withdrawal of our permit not through regulatory channels, but via social media. This says a lot about the authorities’ intent,” the lawyer added.
The company claims it received no prior formal notice and had already completed the exploration phase, entering advanced negotiations for a small-scale mining permit. Jam’s Avenir says it has invested billions of CFA francs in the site since August 2024, when it held the only active research permit there. The company states it had already financed extensive studies and was preparing for industrial-scale operations.
Presidential Order
On July 22, 2025, a letter signed by the Secretary-General of the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, and addressed to acting Minister of Mines Fuh Calistus Gentry, stated that, on the President’s instruction, gold mining at Kambele would now be reserved exclusively for local artisans. This effectively excludes Jam’s Avenir.
According to an August 13 statement from the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, the Kambele site has been returned to the “public domain (free national mining domain)” and is now a “protection and exclusion zone for research, industrial exploitation, and semi-mechanized artisanal exploitation activities.” The ministry clarified that it “has never issued a semi-mechanized artisanal exploitation permit to any operator” and that “the use of expatriate partners remains contrary to the spirit” of the law. Only “artisanal exploitation activities strictly by local residents” are authorized.
This decision follows social unrest in Batouri on June 11, where protesters denounced the exploitation of the site by Jam’s Avenir and its technical and financial partner Codias, led by MP Bonivan Mvondo Assam. However, some sources suggest that local elites may have influenced the escalation of tensions.
The Site’s Contentious Past
The Kambele deposit has been the subject of controversy before. It was previously the site of illegal operations by Chinese companies that, under the guise of artisanal permits obtained from locals, were conducting semi-mechanized exploitation—a practice reserved for Cameroonian companies under the Mining Code. Several operators were convicted. In response, the Ministry of Mines repeatedly suspended activities at the site before reauthorizing them and calling on Jam’s Avenir to address the demands of local communities.
By officially reserving the site for local artisans, the government hopes to ease social tensions. However, this action may open a new front: Jam’s Avenir is planning to sue the authorities for compensation for the alleged unlawful withdrawal of its permit and the investments already made at the site. The situation highlights Cameroon’s ongoing dilemma: how to balance legal security for investors with the social pressure from local communities.
Amina Malloum
