Museveni calls for mineral wealth to power jobs, industry

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Uganda must ensure that its mineral wealth is used to build durable infrastructure and support value addition across the economy, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said.

President Yoweri Museveni is taken on a guided tour of Wagagai Gold Mining project in Busia district shortly after commissioning the facility. (PPU Photo)

“This mineral money must give us permanent and most durable assets. In order to wake up in the minerals sector, we must have full value addition for all minerals like gold, lithium, tin among others. Why? Because we get more money, it creates more jobs, and it consumes more electricity,” he told Ugandans.

The President was speaking in Busia district on Saturday, August 16, during the commissioning of the Wagagai gold mining project, a development he described as a transformative step for Uganda’s economy.

President Yoweri Museveni talks to the Chinese investors at the Wagagai gold mining project in Busia on Saturday shortly after commissioning the facility as ministers and other leaders look on. (PPU Photo)

The refinery, established by Wagagai Mining (U) Co., Ltd., is capable of producing gold refined to 99.99% purity.

Museveni said that for decades, Uganda exported blister copper that was not pure enough for direct use, costing the country money as it had to be refined abroad and then re-imported. He commended Wagagai for investing in value addition and noted that artisanal miners would benefit by refining their gold locally.

President Yoweri Museveni is taken on a guided tour of Wagagai Gold Mining project in Busia district shortly after commissioning the facility. (PPU Photo)

“When you export unprocessed minerals, you are cheating Uganda,” he said, urging small-scale miners to collaborate with the company.

The President also thanked China for its continued support through investment and infrastructure projects financed with soft loans.

China’s Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, hailed the project as a symbol of China–Uganda friendship and praised the country’s investment environment.

President Yoweri Museveni receives a sample of refined gold from Wagagai Gold Mining project MD Tan Jiuchang (L) during the commissioning of the facility in Busia on Saturday. (PPU Photo)

Energy and mineral development minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the project aligned with government policy on local value addition and job creation.

Wagagai’s general manager, Tan Jiuchang, said the $150 million investment in Phase I of the project marked the start of a larger $250 million plan that would make it Uganda’s largest gold mine. He said the plant had already created more than 2,000 jobs and would open opportunities for artisanal miners in Busia, long regarded as the cradle of small-scale gold mining.

President Yoweri Museveni poses for a photo with the heads of Wagagai Gold Mining project, ministers and other government officials. (PPU Photo)

The refinery sits on a 9.224 square kilometre site with proven reserves of 30 million tonnes of gold ore. Once fully operational, it will process 5,000 tonnes of ore daily to produce 1.2 tonnes of refined gold annually, contributing an estimated $10 million in tax revenue and creating more than 5,000 jobs.