On 7 December 2021, Peter Lokeris, the Minister of State for Energy led officials from the Ministry and introduced the Bill to Parliament’s Committee Environment and Natural Resources for scrutiny. The Minister disclosed that the Ministry is lobbying the lawmakers to expedite the amendments when plenary resumes because several private mineral license holders are not performing to capacity as required.
This is after the Ministry of finance reported that the country lost over 470 billion Shillings in taxes on the exportation of gold due to the new taxes that were imposed on the mineral starting with this financial year.
The committee established that Njuba and Masagazi’s company; AUC mining Uganda limited, is the same with Anglo-Uganda company, Gemstone International and now Kratas Resources Limited who have reportedly been changing names upon the end of each mining license.
It is first time Uganda is attending the meeting after cabinet agreed that Uganda should join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative EITI. It is expected that Ugandas membership to EITI will enhance transparency and accountability and lasting value as it prepares for Oil and Gas production.
Deputy Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, says the truck has been moved to Spedag offices in Nakawa in Kampala and will be opened this afternoon to ascertain the minerals, its quantity, value and owner of the truck.
The United Nations Development Programme UNDP Country Director in Uganda, Almaz Gebru says that as Uganda aspires to become a lower middle-income country, development minerals will play a key role, especially in construction and infrastructure development.
The Office of the Auditor General says the management assessed royalty and awarded exports for 93 kilograms of gold worth 11.82 billion Shillings. But corroborative reports from the Customs and Excise Department of URA indicated that 5,316 kilos of gold had been exported. The gold exports were valued at close to 700 billion Shillings, according to the Auditor General.
Joseph Okedi, an Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Mining in an interview neither denied nor confirmed the allegations that corruption is undermining the sector. Okedi says the Mineral and Mining Policy of 2016 is just one of the reforms in the sector.
The Global Witness report exposes incidents where employees at the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines have been setting up private companies to cash in on mineral licenses. Global Witness says it has discovered that it is routine for investors to pay certain Directorate employees a fee to ensure that mining applications meet all requirements.
Edwards Katto Kagimba, the Director Geological Survey and Mines, says they were compelled to withdraw the mining license because of the failure by the company to meet its obligations.
As a result, the civil society activists have tasked government to hasten the ongoing review of the mining policy review. They want government to make favorable mining policies and laws to cater for the incessant land wrangles, to increase royalty take and include artisanal miners.
Members of Manyara Regional Miners Association in Tanzania are pushing for the establishment of an Export Processing Zone-EPZ in Mirereni Township to promote local development. The association which comprises 700 members is demanding that the Tanzanian government establishes an export processing zone for Tanzanite mineral in the township of Mirerani to spur local development.
The African Union Commission (AUC) and Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) are to establish an African Mineral Development Centre, to work towards harnessing the natural resources potential to contribute to Africa’s industrialization.
