For economic and environmental reasons, French firm Eramet stopped developing the Akonolinga rutile project in October 2023. The Cameroonian government is now looking for new ways to exploit it.
Cameroon's Société Nationale des Mines (SNM) is seeking a partner to restart the Akonolinga rutile project after France's Eramet exited the project a year ago. SNM’s managing director, Serge Boyogueno, said forming a joint venture is one option.
"SONAMINES and the partner will have shares agreed parties according to their financial and technical capacities and will share the profits in proportion to their shares. For this specific case, several strategies also exist to finance SONAMINES' counterpart in the joint venture" Business in Cameroon reported.
Eramet worked on the Akonolinga deposit for four years before deciding it was unprofitable and posed environmental risks. To address these challenges, Cameroon is exploring options such as reducing the project's size and initial investment.
“We're going to resize the project and see how we can get 10,000 tonnes of ore out of it per year with a smaller company," said Acting Mines Minister, Fuh Calistus Gentry, last October.
With an investment of €180 million (around $200 million), the Akonolinga project could produce about 350,000 tonnes of rutile annually over five years.
Emiliano Tossou
• WAEMU’s inflation dropped from 2.2% in March to 1.5% in April 2025• BCEAO attributes the decline t...
This launch is a significant milestone that highlights Rwanda's ongoing digital transformation. With...
BCEAO lowers main rate from 3.50% to 3.25% effective June 16, 2025 Inflation eased to 2.3% in...
• FirstRand receives approval to take over HSBC's South African assets, clients, and staff• Move sup...
Egypt signs deals to import up to 290 LNG cargoes over 30 months, starting in July Trafigura,...
• Eutelsat’s OneWeb launches a satellite ground station in Luanda-Bengo, Angola• Station will connect low-Earth-orbit satellites to telecom infrastructure...
Vodacom to build 106 telecom towers in rural KwaZulu-Natal with $5.6 million investment Expansion aims to close the digital divide and boost...
Government unveils plan to boost cybersecurity after attacks on public platforms Measures include firewalls, training, audits, and a new national...
Solar Panda acquires Zambia’s VITALITE, expanding reach across Southern Africa Company now serves over 450,000 households across Kenya, Senegal,...
Kakum National Park is a protected area located in Ghana’s Central Region, near the city of Cape Coast. Established as a forest reserve in 1931 and...
Located in the Seychelles archipelago, over 1,100 kilometers southwest of Mahé, Aldabra is one of the largest coral atolls in the world. It is composed of...