Newly Discovered Diamond Mines Bring Hopes of Development to Cameroon

The recent discovery of previously untapped diamond mines in Eastern Cameroon has had the Cameroon news media in a virtual frenzy, but that’s not all. The local residents, whose standard of living so far has been abysmally low, suddenly have hopes that the diamond mines would bring investment and development to the region. The village of Mparo, for instance, close to the newly found Mobilong diamond mines, and  merely 700 km from capital city Yaounde, has no electricity so far even though unsightly electricity lines are strewn all over the place. Now, the diamond mines are the villagers’ reason for optimism that the government would finally flip the switch.

Cameroon roped in South Korean C&K Mining for the diamond mines project, the company receiving a 25-year exploitation permit. The mining is slated to begin later this year.

The hopes are not entirely based on wishful thinking. As things stand, the six villages in the vicinity of the diamond mines — including Mparo — stand to gain their entitled share of the ‘spoils’, which comes to a ten per cent share of an announced eight per cent tax on all proceeds from the diamond mines.

Mboy, the village closest to the site of the Mobilong diamond mines

Among the advancements desperately needed by the residents here are schools, hospitals, roads, power and running water. Most homes in the region are mud and straw constructions and look rather precarious. Residents are seen wanting for the most basic of amenities which so many even in the second world would take for granted.  Sources from a local aid group based in Yokadouma, the main town that is closest to the diamond mines, have presented a damning picture indeed: oil lamps are the only illumination available, there are no asphalt roads, and schools have been opened but do not have any classrooms, benches, or teaching staff. The villagers subsist on unorganized agriculture, hunting, fishing and foraging.

The villagers of Mang have hopes of their own. Slightly better off than their regional counterparts, the residents are nevertheless waiting for mining operations to begin, as they believe that that may revive a technical college that couldn’t open last year.

Back to Mparo, the very fact that the Koreans are involved has been taken as a good omen by those clamoring for electricity, given the Korean’s track record with solar energy.

The project itself, however, has hit a roadblock due to ongoing investigations by Korean authorities into an alleged nexus between senior Korean officials and C&K Mining. Also being called into question is the actual size of the diamond mines. Early estimates by C&K had been of a whopping 420 million carats; for reference, that is roughly 2.5 times the global output in 2007. However, that figure is now being called into question by activists who’re demanding immediate suspension of mining activities by C&K and a probe in the issuance of the mining permit. Anonymous sources within the company, however, are vouching as to the accuracy of the original estimates. The same sources further revealed that since beginning of exploration in 2006, the project has cost C&K Mining in the neighbourhood of $10 million.

Controversies apart, those living in the geographical proximity of the diamond mines have their hopes alive for now, expecting a rerun of an earlier experience in the region with foresting revenue. Between 2000 and 2009, the Yokadouma district was paid approximately 13 million euros in forest licensing fees.

However, there’s little sign that that money was spent on any development activity in the region. What remains to be seen is if the hopes sparked by the diamond mines would actually come true. Stay tuned for more Cameroon news.