Uganda has inaugurated on August 17 its first large-scale gold mine, a $250 million project in Busia district owned by Chinese firm Wagagai Mining (U) Limited.
The mine, covering nine square kilometres, will refine gold to 99.9% purity and is expected to process 5,000 tonnes of ore daily, producing 1.2 metric tonnes of refined gold annually—far surpassing the country’s 2023 output of just 0.0042 tonnes.
The project marks a major step in Uganda’s bid to expand its mining sector and position itself as a leading gold producer and exporter in Africa.
President Yoweri Museveni, who inaugurated the mine, emphasised the need for “full value addition” across all mineral sectors, including lithium and tin, to maximise national benefits. Uganda earned $3.4 billion from gold exports last year—accounting for 37% of its total export revenue—though much of this came from re-exports rather than domestic output. Museveni said revenue from the new mine will be channelled into key infrastructure, including power stations and a €2.7 billion standard gauge railway under construction to lower transport costs for exports and imports via Kenya.
