The extraction of bauxite mineral estimated to be 554 million tons in northern Cameroon could begin in 2018 for a period of 75 years and at a cost of 4.3 billion US dollars, a source from the Cameroon Alumina Limited (CAL) which is a consortium of foreign companies, told Xinhua on Monday.

The mining will take place in two sites with bauxite deposits at Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal areas in Cameroon's Adamaoua region.

The projections of its initial production is three million tons per year, making it the future biggest alumina factory in Africa, ahead of the only factory on the continent which is in Guinea- Conakry.

According to the deputy director general of Cameroon Alumina Limited Joel Sinquin, the first phase which will last for three years until 2015, will involve installation of the refinery and the production will begin in 2018 with 1.5 million tons per year, but production will double after the construction of the second part of the factory in 2020.

"Today we are negotiating with the Cameroonian government to obtain the mining licences. Once we obtain the licences, we shall begin a detailed study of the mining site and construct infrastructures that are necessary for the processing of the minerals. The study is expected to last between 2013 to 2014," he said.

Cameroon has intensified exploration of more natural resources besides oil which has been drilled since 1980s, in order to achieve her vision of being an emerging economy by the year 2035.

Two mining licences have already been issued by the authorities for a cobalt-nickel-manganese mining in 2003 and for a diamond project in 2010.

Unfortunately, without considering hundreds of other licences to companies searching for other minerals, none of these industrial projects have already kicked off.