Community capacitybuilding for the monitoring of environmental and revenue compliance in mining projects in N and S Came

Context: The Cameroonian government has not been able to translate the profits from natural resources into long term growth and improved wellbeing. Extractive industries often occupy an irreversibly destroy land and forests, taking heavy tolls on the environment and communities. Despite the elaboration of a new mining code and environmental laws (general environmental law 1996, EIA and management plan requirements etc, very little has been done concerning their dissemination, whereas extractive industries are quickly gaining ground in Cameroon. Objective: inform and educate the communities around a uranium, marble-calcite and cobalt-nickel mine, on the content of the conventions engaging the exploiting companies, informing the communities on the legal dispositions existing in matters of minerals exploitation (environmental aspects and revenues dispositions), the synthesized content of EIA and MPs if existing, and the actual field situations; building the communities capacity (at least improve them) on the monitoring and management of resource royalties (community action plans) and the environmental (non) compliances generated by the mining activities, and advocating for a dialogue platform for repairs of non compliances. Main activities: To prepare documents containing information on specific aspects of the mining code, EITI and environmental law; capacity building of the communities, collection of information on the field (non compliances), assist the communities in the elaborations of communities’ action plans and assist them on the carrying out of advocacy on environmental damages and mining revenue distribution. Expected results: Concerned communities and civil society members able to ask more meaningful questions about revenue management and environmental practices, better understanding and capture of money flows from extractive industries to the central government and from government to councils and communities, corruption reduction, monitoring of the country's EITI and establishment of dialogue platforms between the communities, government and the mining companies.