(Business in Cameroon) - Camrail’s freight business will triple, should the memorandum of understanding it recently signed with Canyon Resources (the Australian junior mining company that is developing the Minim-Martap bauxite project in the Adamaoua region) lead to a commercial agreement.

Indeed, the memorandum establishes a framework that will enable both parties to collaborate for the development of a solution thanks to which the 5 million tons of bauxite extracted at Minim-Martap annually can be transported to the port of Douala for export. This means that as of 2022 (projected date for the start of operations at Minim-Martap bauxite deposit), Camrail could start transporting 5 million tons of bauxite yearly for the Australian junior mining alone.

Thus, its yearly freight operations, which are so far estimated to be below two million tons, could rise to over six million tons (up by about 200% compared to the currently estimated volume).  

According to credible sources, for the exploitation of the Minim-Martap bauxite, Canyon Resources plans to build a 20-km road that will connect the various mining sites to Makor. From this town (located in Adamoua where there is a railway station), the ore will be transported by Camrail to the port of Douala or Kribi for export.

During researches that started in September 2018, a refined analysis of 16 of the 79 bauxite plateaus identified on the Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal deposits brought the mineral resources potential to 892 million tons, up by 342 million tons compared with initial estimates.

Of this total volume, 250 million tons are "very high grade," making them ideal for aluminum production, Canyon Resources points out. An analysis of the 63 remaining plateaus could make Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal "the largest deposit in the world, in terms of quantity and quality," says James Durrant, the project leader.

Brice R. Mbodiam