COMMENT | Johanna Sydow & Nsama Chikwanka | The environmental and human toll of mineral extraction is becoming clearer – and more alarming – by the day. Roughly 60% of Ghana’s waterways are now heavily polluted due to gold mining along riverbanks. In Peru, many communities have lost access to safe drinking water after environmental …
Read More »African nations push to strengthen mineral diplomacy
Africa’s strategic minerals are no longer just economic assets. They are levers of power. Gold in the Sahel, cobalt and lithium in the DRC, fuel alliances, arm militias and shape global partnerships. According to experts, how these resources are governed will decide whether they drive industrial growth or entrench conflict …
Read More »Who owns Uganda’s mining companies?
Despite recent legal reforms, Uganda’s mining companies keep their true owners hidden, stalling transparency and accountability in a sector worth billions of dollars COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When Uganda was admitted into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) fold in August 2020, it was hailed as a political and …
Read More »How mining companies are undermining Uganda’s EITI bid
A defiant mining industry is testing whether transparency in Uganda’s extractive sector can survive on goodwill alone Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | When Gloria Mugambe, the Head of Uganda’s EITI Secretariat (UGEITI) stepped up to the podium at the launch of the country’s Fourth Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Report …
Read More »The case for a Uganda mineral exploration fund
COMMENT | ERIC ODONGO | It is no longer in doubt that Uganda is endowed with considerably vast amounts of minerals. Dating as far back as colonial times in 1925, when the oil potential was first documented, exploration has and continues to support mineral development in Uganda. According to the …
Read More »Uganda’s minerals sector still struggles to tell the full story
Fourth EITI report reveals companies still dodge key disclosures as beneficial ownership data remains thin and contract transparency has barely moved NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | When Uganda’s fourth Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Report was released in Kampala on Nov.20, the message that threaded through Protea Hotel’s ground floor …
Read More »Malawian president issues executive order prohibiting raw mineral exports
LILONGWE | Xinhua | Malawian President Peter Mutharika has issued an executive order banning the export of raw, unprocessed minerals as the country gears itself up to develop its wide range of mineral resources. The order was released on Saturday, reaffirming the government’s commitment to “ensuring the sustainable development and …
Read More »Uganda’s minerals boon moment?
Could adoption of continental mining vision propel country’s development agenda? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | It is an open secret that Uganda sits on a geological treasure map. From gold-rich belts in the country’s northeastern province of Karamoja to deposits of critical transition minerals now prized by global clean-energy …
Read More »Sharpening Africa’s edge in the diamond sector
With new polishing hubs, traceability standards, and policy reforms, the continent is seeking a bigger share of diamond wealth SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | A new diamond polishing facility in South Africa has sparked discussions about beneficiation and ethical trade, as the continent seeks to capture more value from …
Read More »Africa is defining the new scramble
Africa is setting the terms for the new scramble for its minerals by pooling regional strengths and mobilizing capital. Several nations are tightening export rules, demanding more local processing and value addition as the global competition for its mineral resources heightens to power the latest ambitions in tech. SPECIAL REPORT …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price