“Uganda’s oil and gas story is still being written. But it cannot be told in full without recognising the leadership that turned forgotten potential into an opportunity for generations.” COMMENT | DR FRED KABAGAMBE-KALIISA | Veteran Ugandan journalist Tonny Owana recently shared a 1980 article by Ilakut Ben Bella, first …
Read More »Gold laundering capital?
Uganda bets on ICGLR’s mineral certification mechanism as it battles for legitimacy in the global gold market COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | For years, Uganda has carried the uncomfortable label of being “the gold laundering capital of Africa.” Watchdog reports, including investigations by the UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of …
Read More »Inside the DRC and Ukraine
How international involvement in the affairs of these two countries has complicated internal conflict resolution THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The DRC and Ukraine may be geographically and culturally apart but they share many similarities. DRC is the second largest country in Africa, after Algeria. Ukraine is the second largest …
Read More »Mineral-rich Zambia, South Africa aim to lead global clean energy research
Zambia and South Africa are leading Africa in laying the groundwork to transform their vast mineral wealth into platforms for research, clean-tech development, and innovation. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Zambia, South Africa, and other African countries are seeding mining innovation ecosystems that could shift their role in the …
Read More »EU companies fueling minerals smuggling in DRC
‘Coltan moves from DR Congo to EU via Rwanda’ ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | All actors in the supply chain of illicit mineral exports, from operators of the mines to end product users, need to be held accountable for sustaining the bloodbath in the conflict-riven eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). That …
Read More »Can Mali’s gold reforms deliver without driving away investors?
The West African nation is shaking up its gold sector with bold reforms aimed at keeping more wealth at home. But can it sustain investor confidence while tightening the screws on foreign miners? SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Mali is playing a high-stakes game with its gold sector, shaking …
Read More »The Great Lakes region has an ‘illegal minerals’ problem
Attracting ‘proper’ mining companies could bring peace, say experts COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Barrick Gold Corporation was until 2019 the largest mining company in the world. With operating revenue of US$12.922 billion (Uganda’s GDP is about US$50 billion), Barrick Gold is the kind of mining company that experts think …
Read More »Uganda’s minerals get listed on stock exchange
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Finance is in the process of developing a national commodities exchange aimed at securitizing Uganda’s minerals and enabling their trade on the stock market. According to Joseph Enyimu, Commissioner for Economic Development, Policy, and Research at the Ministry, listing minerals will not …
Read More »Great Lakes region’s mineral certification faces scrutiny 14 years on
Experts say the region’s mineral certification mechanism remains patchy, under-implemented, and hindered by political and regulatory gaps ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Fourteen years since 12 governments in the Great Lakes region unanimously agreed to create a foolproof international system for certifying and auditing minerals that have been blamed for fomenting …
Read More »US-Ukraine minerals deal resembles colonial exploitation of Africa
NEW YORK, the United States | TASS | The US-Ukraine agreement on mineral reserves, if signed, will be somewhat similar to the penal agreements that European colonizers made with the peoples of African countries, Bloomberg reports. According to the agency, the US access to Ukrainian subsoil resources is now taking “a form …
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