(Business in Cameroon) – Camina, a company controlled by Indian steel giant Jindal Steel Power, is kicking off public consultations in Cameroon on September 2 to gather feedback on the environmental and social impacts of its planned iron ore mine in Ngovayang. These meetings, scheduled to conclude on September 7, will take place in several towns near the proposed mine site (Lolodorf, Bipindi, and Kribi). The objective is to give local residents a chance to weigh in on the project’s potential effects.
“If the study is approved by the local populations, Camina will be granted an environmental compliance certificate. This certificate is crucial for the company to complete its application for an exploitation permit, which will then be forwarded to the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development for the signing of a mining convention. The final approval of the exploitation permit will be issued by a presidential decree,” reads a statement announcing the consultations beginning September 2, 2024.
This push to obtain the necessary permits for the Ngovayang iron ore project comes just days before the expiration of Jindal’s exploration licenses. These permits, last extended in 2022 for two years, cover an area of 938 square kilometers and are set to expire on September 22, 2024, according to information released earlier this year by the Ministry of Mines. It’s unclear at this time whether these exploration licenses, which now have only 20 days remaining, have been renewed.
Jindal Steel Power acquired the Ngovayang iron ore project in 2014 after purchasing the assets from the Australian company Legend Mining for $17 million. This acquisition followed Jindal’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire assets in the Nkout iron ore deposit, also located in southern Cameroon.
According to the Ministry of Mines, the Ngovayang deposit holds an estimated 800 million tonnes of mineral reserves, including 300 million tonnes of iron ore with an average grade of 35%. However, a report from the fourth edition of the International Mining Convention and Exhibition of Cameroon (Cimec), held in Yaoundé from May 22 to 24, 2024, estimated the resources at 111.42 million tonnes of iron ore, which will require enrichment.
Economically, this mining project is expected to create around 2,000 direct jobs during the construction phase and 1,000 direct jobs during operations. It could also generate up to 20,000 indirect jobs across the associated value chain, according to estimates by the Ministry of Mines.
