Cameroon

EITI Status Yet to be assessed against the 2016 Standard
EITI Member Since 2007
Latest Data From 2013
Website EITI Cameroon

Overview

Cameroon is a leading producer of crude oil, natural gas, bauxite, aluminium, iron ore, as well as diamonds, gold, marble, granite, sapphire, quartz and construction materials. Yet social conflicts around the management of natural resource revenues, subnational transfers to resource-rich communities and environmental impacts of the extractive industries have been widespread.

In addition to a national EITI, an EITI Students Club was established in Douala to use EITI data to support academic research and public debate and the National Assembly established an EITI committee to support implementation of the EITI Standard.

News, blogs and more

Tax and legal framework

The three main taxes and fees imposed on companies operating in the oil and gas industry include the state’s share of profit oil, corporate income tax and special revenue tax. The three main taxes and fees on companies in the mining sector include ad valorem tax, extraction tax and fixed taxes (including permit award or renewal tax). The Directorate of Tax is the main body responsible for collecting taxes paid to the central government, while the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH) collects the state’s share of in-kind revenues. The Directorate of Treasury and Monetary and Financial Cooperation is the main body in charge of managing and disbursing revenues from the extractive industries. Municipal governments are responsible for levying and collecting small local taxes, but also receive subnational transfers from central government.

The SNH publishes only a model oil and gas production-sharing contract (PSC).

Production-sharing contracts are awarded on the basis of competitive tender in the oil and gas sector, while mining licenses are awarded on a ‘first come first served’ basis in the mining sector.

Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH), Bassins sédimentaires
Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (2014), Cameroon exploration industry: opportunities and perspectives
Centurion LLP (2015), Africa Energy Frontiers: Cameroon

Beneficial ownership disclosure

Cameroon's 2013 EITI Report confirms that the government has no policy for the publication of beneficial ownership data. Of the 22 companies in the report, 13 were either state-owned or publicly listed. Of the remaining nine companies, five disclosed their legal owners and one company disclosed its beneficial owner. The report also shows owners of mining licenses. Although many of these appear to be physical persons, there report does not confirm whether they are also the beneficial owners. The report recommends the creation of a public beneficial ownership register.

EITI reporting allows us to publish information on the extractive sector reviewed by the government and companies. This allows the public to track the use of extractive revenues.
HE Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Finance and Chair of the EITI Cameroon MSG, 3 January 2017

Production

Cameroon is a leading producer of crude oil, natural gas, diamonds, gold and sapphire, but it also produces a variety of construction materials. Ongoing development of oil and gas is taking place offshore in the Gulf of Guinea, while mining exploration is focused on roughly 40% of Cameroon’s territory.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (2013), Cameroon profile
Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH), Petroleum statistics and revenues
BTI (2016), Cameroon country report

Natural resources

Cameroon has rich deposits of crude oil, natural gas, bauxite, gold, iron ore and diamonds. Abundant oil and gas resources are found mainly in the shallow and deep-water offshore, while mineral deposits are located onshore. Cameroon is considered one of the most mineralised countries along the Gulf of Guinea, holding the second largest bauxite reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.

CommodityReservesUnitSignificance
Oil200million barrels
Gas154billion Sm3Cameroon holds arounds 0.6% of the world's natural gas reserves
Gold4500metric tons
Bauxite700,000thousand metric tonsCameroon holds the world's sixth largest deposits of bauxite
Iron ore632,000thousand metric
Diamonds18million carats
Uranium24,125metric tonsthese are potential reserves. The minimum content of the deposits is 0.1%
US Geological Service Cameroon Minerals Yearbook 2012
Center for International Forestry Research (2014), The impacts of artisanal gold mining on local livelihoods and the environment
US State Department, Cameroon 2014 Investment Climate report
United Africa Association (UNAFA) (2012), Extractive industries in Cameroon, a source book for teachers
Law Business Research, Oil regulation in 33 jurisdictions worldwide 2014

Initializing chart.

Initializing chart.

Revenue collection

The latest EITI disclosures (2013) show that Cameroon received USD 1.597 billion from extractive industry taxation. Over 97% of these revenues came from upstream hydrocarbons, mainly from crude oil, with the rest from oil and gas transport as well as mining. Revenues were mainly collected through SNH’s direct transfers to Treasury (45%), corporate income tax (23%) and the special revenue tax (3%).

Cameroon: Revenues steady although production declines
Cameroon mining sector is evolving
World Bank (2014), Cameroon economic update

Total government revenues

Initializing chart.

Revenue allocation

Regional and municipal governments manage only minor subnational taxes and fees, but municipalities are also entitled to a total of 28% of central government mining revenues.  

IMF (2014), Cameroon Article IV Consultation
IMF (2015), Cameroon Article IV Consultation, Selected issues
Deutsche Bank (2015), Frontier country report, Cameroon
African Development Bank, Cameroon Economic Outlook 2014

Innovations

The EITI encourages multi-stakeholder groups to explore innovative approaches to make the EITI more relevant and useful.

 

  • EITI Student Club in Douala use EITI reports for academic research and public debate
  • Open data is displayed on the national EITI website: scroll down and check the Fast and Open Data section here!
  • Use of comic strips to explain the EITI
  • Inclusion of oil transit through the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline
  • Direct representation of treasury and tax office in MSG working groups to enhance reporting
  • Companies asked to sign a declaration of support to the EITI and will be required to have their reporting templates certified.
  • Review of the Finance Law to clarify the roles and responsibilities of these bodies
  • EITI-requested update of the mining cadastre to better determine company coverage
  • On 30 August 2012, the National Assembly established an EITI committee to follow implementation of the standard

Implementation

EITI has updated its workplan, including plans for capacity building and for mainstreaming of EITI reporting in government systems.

Governance

The government announced its intention to apply for EITI Candidature at the EITI Global Conference in London in March 2005. Prime Ministerial Decree 2005/2176/PM on 16 June 2005 provides the legal basis for EITI implementation and establishes the EITI multi-stakeholder group, known as the Follow-Up Committee (‘Comité de suivi de la mise en œuvre de l’ITIE’). The Minister of Finance, HE Alamine Ousmane Mey, chairs the MSG in Cameroon and Agnès Solange Ondigui Owona is the National Coordinator.

Timeline

 

Validation

Cameroon's Validation against the Standard will commence on 1 July 2017. The country is compliant under the 2011 Rules.

EITI Reports and other key documents

Cameroon Beneficial ownership roadmap

Published Date: 
December, 2016
Publisher: 
Cameroon EITI

An outline of the steps leading to beneficial ownership disclosure by 1 January 2020, this roadmap is a part of the 2017 - 2019 Cameroon EITI work plan.

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Cameroon 2014 EITI Report

Published Date: 
November, 2016
Publisher: 
Cameroon EITI

Cameroon's 2014 EITI Report covers extractive activities in the country for that fiscal year.

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2013 Cameroon EITI Report

Published Date: 
June, 2015
Publisher: 
Cameroon EITI

This EITI Report covers Cameroon's extractive sector in 2013. It was published in June 2015. 

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2012 Cameroon EITI Report

Published Date: 
December, 2014
Publisher: 
Cameroon EITI

This EITI Report covers Cameroon's extractive sector in 2012. It was published in December 2014. 

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2011 Cameroon EITI Report

Published Date: 
August, 2013
Publisher: 
Cameroon EITI

This EITI Report covers Cameroon's extractive sector in 2011. It was published in August 2013. 

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View all documents related to Cameroon in our publications library

Contacts

National Coordinator

Ms Agnès Solange ONDIGUI OWONA

Alternate
EITI National Coordinator Cameroon
ondiguiagnessolange@yahoo.com

Agnès Solange Ondigui Owona is the Coordinator of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Cameroon, a role she has held since 2009. Ms Ondigui Owona is also the Vice-Chairman of the Technical Commission for Privatization and Liquidat

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International Secretariat

Bady Balde EITI

Bady Balde

mamadou60
Regional Director Francophone Africa
bbalde@eiti.org

EITI responsibilities: ​Geographic: Francophone Africa. Thematic: state-owned enterprises (SOE) and oil sales, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and mineral smuggling, supreme audit institutions (SAIs)

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Anna Herbert EITI

Anna Herbert de la Portbarré

annaherbert6812
French Coordinator
adelaportbarre@eiti.org

EITI responsibilities: Interpretation, translation and proof reading of all EITI content from English to French. Support for francophone African countries.

Work Experience: Prior to joining the EITI in 2014,

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