ABSTRACT
According to Cameroon’s mining code, mining is defined as any form of extracting solid, liquid or gaseous mineral substances, irrespective of the procedure or method used, from on or beneath the ground in order to extract useful substances. It therefore includes all processes that are directly or indirectly necessary for, or are related to, this activity. Artisanal mining is just one type of mining. Cameroon’s mining code defines artisanal mining as any exploitation where the activities consist of extracting and concentrating mineral substances by methods and procedures that involve little or no mechanisation. Artisanal mining involves processes carried out by individuals or small groups, often family groups. Artisanal mining takes place without any planning, using methods and tools that are often rudimentary and ancestral to extract and process resources about which little is known. It is not characterised by the quantities or timescales involved, but takes place along with other activities (agriculture) within a context of opportunistic gathering.
