Uganda industry leaders urge local mineral processing

During the 15th Annual Mineral Wealth Conference in Kampala, industry leaders and government officials called for Uganda to transition from raw mineral extraction to local processing and beneficiation.

Oscar Kamukama of Steel & Tube Industries emphasized the need to process iron ore locally to create a domestic industrial value chain. He noted that Uganda possesses significant reserves, with government estimates ranging between 300 million and 350 million tonnes. Local processing could allow the country to manufacture finished steel products, such as reinforcement bars and hollow sections, reducing reliance on imports and boosting exports across East Africa.

KCB Bank Uganda also advocated for increased financing across the mineral value chain to accelerate industrialization. Government ministers supported this shift, with the Minister of State for Energy, Sidronius Okaasai Opolot, stating that investment must extend beyond extraction to ensure maximum economic value remains within the local economy. Similarly, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Jonard Asiimwe Akiiki, highlighted the necessity of transforming raw materials into manufactured goods like machinery and tools to drive national development.