Tag Archives: minerals

  For policymakers, the clock is ticking on a choice between continuing an expensive experiment or rewriting the rules of Uganda’s mineral wealth   Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE |  For years, Uganda’s decision to give gold special treatment in its tax regime has been defended as an investment incentive. The idea …

  As global demand grows, Orom-Cross is betting that processing graphite in Uganda can deliver more than a mining project   NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE |  A graphite project in northern Uganda is taking on a more ambitious shape. What began as a proposal to mine and export graphite from …

  Riyadh wants ports, minerals, food and influence. East African governments want the capital   NEWS ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | In late January, a delegation of Saudi Arabian investors and officials arrived in Port Lamu, Kenya, with an eye on one of East Africa’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. Led …

  SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Nigeria’s discovery of a major new critical minerals province reflects a broader shift as Africa’s leading oil producers invest in mining to diversify their resource economies. The strategy aims to reduce dependence on a single commodity by expanding exploration, attracting mining investment and building …

    New American sanctions target the commercial networks that turn Congo’s conflict minerals into global business   NEWS ANALYSIS |  RONALD MUSOKE | For years, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s wars have been fought with rifles, rockets and militias. Increasingly, however, Washington believes the conflict is being sustained somewhere else …

  African central banks are increasingly linking domestic gold refining to reserve management as countries move to retain more value from minerals. The shift reflects a broader effort to diversify away from foreign currency assets while strengthening local supply chains.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Uganda’s foreign exchange …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new report from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) shows that resource-rich countries can significantly boost public revenues and sustainable development through transparency and sound fiscal management. It notes that with shrinking aid, rising debt, and volatile commodity markets, strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation …

  The US has long enjoyed the world’s cheapest energy, but China is now set to take that position THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA |  In 2020–2021, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) leapfrogged US-based Intel in the production of advanced chips. All of a sudden, TSMC could produce …

  Inside Trump’s plan to rebuild global supply chains without China NEWS ANALYSIS  | RONALD MUSOKE | On Feb. 4, delegations from more than 50 countries streamed into the U.S. Department of State for a summit that Washington D.C views as foundational to the next era of industrial power. Foreign ministers, …

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 …