Cameroon requested on Friday, 9 October, in Brussels the lifting of its suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, during a meeting between acting Minister of Mines Fuh Calistus Gentry and the board chair of the organisation, Maria van der Hoeven. No reinstatement decision had been announced at the end of the talks.
The minister presented the measures that Yaoundé says it has launched to address shortcomings identified in civil society's participation in monitoring oil, gas and mining revenues. The move came on the sidelines of the tenth EITI global conference, held on 8 and 9 October in the Belgian capital.
Cameroon has been suspended since March 2024 after scoring 53 points in its assessment under the 2019 standard. The EITI board had found the requirement on full and active participation of civil society only partially met, citing in particular constraints on freedom of expression and association.
The 2024 decision also recognised progress in publishing information by the National Hydrocarbons Company and by certain private companies. It nevertheless pointed to gaps in tracking recommendations, access to data, governance of the multi-stakeholder group and disclosure of several financial flows.
The next validation cycle is scheduled to begin from 1 April 2027. Cameroon may request an early assessment, but lifting the suspension requires a decision by the EITI board after reviewing corrective actions. The Brussels meeting is therefore a political and technical request, not a reinstatement already secured.
The country's status mainly affects the credibility of its mechanisms for disclosing payments, contracts and extractive revenues. It does not suspend mining or oil activity, but it maintains a governance signal watched by investors, donors and civil society organisations.