CAPAM

The Artisan Mining Support and Promotion Framework (CAPAM) was set up in 2003 by the Prime Minister, Head of Government.

Between 2005 and 2009, it carried out the first phase of the "Mining Development Support programme" called "Support and Organisation of Mining Craft" project. The first phase of this program was financed after it was deemed eligible for HIPC funding worth 4,668,920,000 CFAF.

The current drive in mining development is part of the significant impacts of the implementation of the first phase of this programme.

Upon completion of this phase, CAPAM consolidated its position as stakeholder in the mining sector and driving force for socio-economic development in the Sub-Divisions and as operational and secular unit of the Ministry in charge of Mines and the State. It also stands as a concrete example of the implementation of the growth and employment requirements and the materialisation of the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP).

CAPAM has become a machinery with an important asset base in expertise, mastery of realities on the field, human, material and financial resources, relevance of the operating mechanism, trust in investors and mining operators, established partnerships.

The draft decree transforming CAPAM into a Mining Activities Support and Promotion Centre has been validated by the Minister in charge of Mines, the Prime Minister, Head of Government and is awaiting approval by the Head of State.

The second phase of the programme aims at consolidating and further developing all these achievements.

The setting up of CAPAM was prompted by the following observations:

•   Available investment following interest in Cameroon's mining potential. The need to continue promoting and upgrading this potential;

•  Poverty, an essential economic potential for available investment; the need to bridge the poverty gap with relevant micro projects, projects, mechanisms and programmes which have positive and quantifiable impacts on poverty alleviation and growth;

•  Easing the relationship between the potential that is worth interest and available investment. The need for Cameroon to master national and international financial engineering circuits in order to raise funding and value its potential which is worth interest;
•    Production drive to the detriment of consumption drive in local communities. The need to ease the popularisation of this drive;

•    Current deficit in upgrading the known mining potential of Cameroon. The need to upgrade recognised types of mining potentials in each of the 371 Sub-Divisions of the country. They include precious substances; base metals; energy substances; industrial minerals; building, development and decorative materials and water resources.

•    More than 50% of the country is unknown in terms of mineral and geological information; it is important to improve mineral and geological information by discovering new mineral targets;

•    The need for Cameroon to concretely implement the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP);

•    The need for the country to increase its growth rate to double digits;

•  The need for Cameroon to attain its emergence goal by 2035 from current actions;

•    The need for the population and communities to become local engines of wealth production, to increase and diversify national production in view of contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product;

•    The need for Cameroon to secure its mining products in order to obtain national statistics and contribute towards growth, and also provide security for mining sites and stakeholders;

•    The need to better upgrade and process national products locally in order to add their value, revitalise the country’s industrial fabric, strengthen the technical and technological capacities of local stakeholders, and diversify trades for local human resources with strengthened capacities:

•    The need for connection and harmonious synergy between small and large enterprises in general, as well as small and industrial mines;

•   The need for Cameroon to have a coherent and relevant programme with production being its source of growth, which includes not only production activities but also all socio-economic aspects that contribute towards improving the living conditions of the people concerned including related infrastructures;

•   Within the framework of the implementation of the decentralisation and balanced development policy in all the localities of the country, the need to have a program that develops specific potentialities of each of its 371 Sub-Divisions;

•    The need to put in place and implement a self-reliant development mechanism which is based primarily on the entrepreneurial skills of the local population with possible contribution from partners;

•    The need for the State of Cameroon to be the central driving force for the country’s production and economic growth. The State should be part of a mining and socio-economic holding company with prospects of having subsidiary companies in each of its Sub-Divisions;

•    The need to have a national centre of expertise whose role is to boost socio-economic development in the Sub-Divisions;  

•    The need to henceforth give priority to the performance of appointed officials;

•    The need to put in place a programme mechanism that will ease access of youths of all ages, sexes, levels of education to become either individually or collectively entrepreneur-producer as opposed to the prevailing employee-consumer habit.

All these needs justify the "Mining Activity Development Support (CAPAM)" programme designed to satisfy the concerns listed above and to constitute an integrated development model which not only includes other sectors of the economy but can also be applied to them.

For more information, go to the CAPAM website: www.capam.cm