Gold Crackdown: Cameroon will launch an Aug. 1 operation to recover about CFAF305 billion ($524m) in unpaid taxes from undeclared gold exports, targeting 51 mining firms and 33 hidden sites after UAE trade data showed imports far above Cameroon’s official figures. Mining Oversight: The move follows a wider freeze of 200+ semi-mechanised mining operations in East and Adamawa, halting environmental damage but triggering local job shocks. Mining Politics: Commentaries are calling for an independent, transparent probe into illegal gold exports, with claims that only a small share of production moves through government channels. Investment & Industry: Chinese backers unveiled a CFAF45.2bn zircon mining and processing plan in Cameroon’s East, aiming to build an extraction-to-first-transformation chain and create 500 direct jobs. Agri Entrepreneurship: MINPMEESA and CAPEF formalised an incubator at Ambam’s agriculture school (EPABA Business Lab) to support rural SMEs in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry. Infrastructure Delivery: Yaoundé’s northern entry road expansion is behind schedule (25.86% complete vs 89.11% of contract time elapsed), with land release and utility relocations cited as key blockers. Trade & Ports: Cameroon opened talks with MSC-linked Terminal Investment Limited on the long-delayed Limbe deep-sea port project.