Mining operations are complex. They aren't your run-of-the-mill type of projects. These billion dollar complexes consist of various interconnected projects, operating simultaneously to deliver refined commodities like gold, silver, coal and iron ore. It's a five stage process and we've broken it down using Exploration, Mine-site design, Planning, Construction and Production. The total number of people involved in artisanal gold mining in Cameroon is out of control with Artisanal Gold Mining (AGM) considered to be growing business in many developing countries. AGM is often informal and associated with conflict, corruption, civil strife and rapid degradation of the environment. Yet if sound managed, AGM as other artisanal mining activities has the potential to contribute significantly to social and economic development, and offer an opportunity for a sustainable alleviation of poverty in some of the poorest communities. This report is based on the fieldwork carried out on the placer deposit along the river Mari's plain about 1.5 km width and 10 km long, one of the main productive AGM sites in Bétaré-Oya.