(Business in Cameroon) - Officially, no less than 19 different types of ores can be found in the subsoil of the three regions (Northern, Extreme-North and Adamaoua) which make up northern Cameroon. These are mining resources as varied as gold, copper, marble, bauxite, limestone, diamond, graphite, iron, cobalt, tin and even uranium.

However, barely eight of these ores are currently being mined or under preliminary studies for future mining operations. The local public authorities, cited by the regional newspaper L’œil du Sahel, mention the high number of protected areas which cover these lands rich in ores as being at the origin of this timid approach noted in the mining in this part of Cameroon.

Indeed, the three northern Cameroon regions certainly the highest numbers of protected areas in the country. Particularly the Northern region, which hosts on its own the Bouba-Ndjida (2200 Km2), Faro (3300 Km2) and Bénoué (1800 Km2) national parks, which cover more than half of the region.

In the Adamaoua and Extreme-North regions, the Vallée du Mbéré (777 Km2) and Waza (1700 Km2) parks also cover some ore deposits, which can unfortunately not be mined, or only illegally and following the traditional method.

BRM