Canadian mining company CVMR Corp has secured five exploration licences covering 2,500 square kilometres in the Central African Republic, expanding its exploration footprint as the company prepares to assess uranium and other mineral resources in the country.
Africa Intelligence reported on September 18 that the Central African government had awarded the Toronto-based company five licences covering a combined 2,500 square kilometres. The report says some of the newly licensed areas are located around Bakouma, a region with a long history of uranium exploration and development.
The size of the combined area is consistent with the country’s mining legislation. Under the Central African Mining Code, an exploration permit can cover no more than 500 square kilometres. Five permits would therefore allow a combined area of up to 2,500 square kilometres.
CVMR’s interest in uranium forms part of a broader agreement with Bangui. In December 2025, the company announced a long-term public-private partnership with the Central African government covering the exploration, development and in-country refining of uranium, tantalum and niobium, copper, antimony, nickel and gold. The agreement envisages geological assessments, target selection and pre-feasibility work before potential mining and processing projects are developed.
CVMR has already begun geological work in the country. In December 2025, the Central African Ministry of National Defense authorized Canadian Advanced Satellite Imaging, a CVMR subsidiary, to conduct satellite-based geoscientific imaging and mineral mapping. The company said the work would support geological assessment and mineral inventory development under government oversight.
Bakouma is particularly significant because of its uranium deposits and previous involvement by French nuclear group Orano, formerly Areva. OECD data show that Areva acquired UraMin, the owner of Bakouma and other African uranium deposits, for $2.5 billion in 2007. The project was subsequently suspended after an armed attack on the site in June 2012. The Bakouma area contains several identified uranium deposits, including Palmyre, Pama, Pamela, Pâquerette, Patou and Patricia.
Africa Intelligence reported that some of CVMR’s new licences are in the same Bakouma area and that one overlaps the perimeter of Orano’s former project. The publication also reported that Orano has not agreed to relinquish its licence. Separately, Africa Intelligence reported in March that Bangui and Orano were already in disagreement over the company’s rights in Bakouma.
The new permits concern exploration, not commercial uranium production. CVMR will therefore need to complete geological assessment and subsequent feasibility work before any potential mining project can move toward development. The licences nevertheless give the Canadian company a substantial new exploration position in one of the Central African Republic’s best-known uranium areas.
