Cameroon’s mining land register is now online — check it before you buy land

Something quietly important happened in Yaoundé at the end of September 2026: the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT) put Cameroon’s mining land register online.

If you are buying land in Cameroon — whether you live in Douala or you are wiring money from London, Paris or Washington — this matters to you more than you might think. Here is what changed, and how to use it.

What MINMIDT just launched

On 30 September 2026, MINMIDT announced a digital platform built into the Geological and Mining Information System (GMIS), powered by ArcGIS mapping technology. According to the ministry, the platform gives interactive access to:

• Mining titles — exploration permits, exploitation permits, quarry authorisations and other mining rights
• Their exact geographical boundaries on a map
• The status of each title (active, expired, in application)
• Information on the title holders

The platform is accessible remotely at minmidt.cm/cadastre/ — no trip to the ministry building in Yaoundé required. It also flags potential overlaps between mining titles, protected areas and international borders, and MINMIDT says training sessions will be organised to help the public use it.

Why a land buyer should care about mining titles

Most people buying a plot in Cameroon check the land title at the Conservation Foncière (the land registry) — and stop there. But land in Cameroon can carry more than one kind of right:

1. Surface rights — the land title you buy
2. Subsurface rights — mining and quarry rights, which belong to the State and can be granted to a mining operator

If the plot you are buying sits inside an area covered by a mining title or a mining application, you could end up owning land that a mining company has legal rights over — or land whose value is about to change completely. Before this platform existed, checking that meant physically going to MINMIDT and asking. Now you can check from your phone.

How to check a plot before you pay

Here is a sensible routine that combines the new tool with the checks we always recommend:

1. Get the exact location of the plot. Ask the seller for the land title number, the coordinates, or at minimum a clear description of the boundaries (bornage). Vague locations like “just after the junction” are a red flag.

2. Check the mining cadastre online. Open minmidt.cm/cadastre/ and look at the area around the plot. Are there active mining titles or pending applications covering it? Is it inside or next to a protected area?

3. Verify the land title itself at the Conservation Foncière. The mining platform does not replace the land registry. You still need to confirm the title exists, is in the seller’s name, and carries no mortgage or dispute. Our guide on verifying land in Cameroon before paying walks through this step by step.

4. Check the physical reality on the ground. Visit the plot (or send someone you trust). Look for signs of mining or quarry activity nearby, and talk to neighbours and the village chief.

5. Put everything in writing. A proper sale agreement, witnessed and registered, protects you far better than a handshake and a mobile money transfer.

A warning about fake ministry websites

One more thing, and it is important: there are fraudulent websites imitating MINMIDT. Scam sites using addresses like “minmidt.com” claim to sell gold buyer’s permits and mining licences, and they target exactly the kind of person who searches for Cameroon’s mining services online — especially diaspora buyers.

The real ministry operates on minmidt.cm and minmidt.net. The genuine cadastre platform is free to consult. If any website asks you to pay for a “gold buyer’s permit” or “exit permit” online, walk away — that is a well-documented scam pattern.

The bigger picture

This launch is part of a broader push toward transparency in Cameroon’s extractive sector, aligned with EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) disclosure objectives. The previous mining cadastre system (Landfolio) was decommissioned in November 2025, and this new GMIS-integrated platform is its modern replacement.

For ordinary land buyers, the takeaway is simple: one more layer of due diligence is now free and online. Between the land registry check and the mining cadastre check, you can rule out two of the most expensive surprises in Cameroonian real estate — without leaving your house.

Source: MINMIDT, “Digital access to mining land register and geological information”, 30 September 2026 — minmidt.cm