Govt Maintains Ban on Export of Unprocessed Minerals :: Uganda Radionetwork

President Museveni slapped a moratorium on the export of unprocessed iron ore and other minerals in a bid to spur the growth of local industries through value addition and to create employment opportunities for Ugandans.

The

Minister of State for Energy Peter Lokeris has restated that the government's ban

on unrefined minerals which was imposed in February 2015 by President Yoweri

Kaguta Museveni will not be lifted.

Minister

Lokeris explained that Museveni imposed a moratorium on the export of

unprocessed iron ore and other minerals in a bid to spur the growth of local

industries through value addition and create employment opportunities for Ugandans.

For that

reason Lokeris, who was officiating at the launch of the International Conference on Great

Lakes Region – ICGLR Certificate for Uganda at the Speke Resort Munyonyo to promote mineral traceability, accountability, and transparency on

Wednesday, reiterated that the government’s ban will stay.

The

purpose of the ICGLR Mineral Tracking and Certification Scheme is to provide

for sustainable conflict-free mineral chains between Member States to eliminate

support to armed groups that sustain conflict and related human

rights abuses.

Irene

Pauline Bateebe, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral

Development says attaining the ICGLR Certificate underscores Uganda’s commitment

to put in place regional and international market requirements on transparent

mineral trade to curb the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

Bateebe pointed out that so far, the ministry has already formalized the Artisanal Mining Sector by establishing a biometric

registration system for miners in the country, and constructed several mineral beneficiation

centers among other measures to help the government achieve its value-addition

targets.

//Cue in: We have launched…//

Cue out: …value addition targets."//

Meanwhile,

Ambassador João Samuel Caholo, the Executive Secretary of ICGLR commended Uganda for being the 5th model

Member State of the 12 riparian countries which attained the certificate after

ratifying the protocol on the fight against illegal exploitation of natural

resources in the region.

//Cue in: The Republic of… //

Cue out: … of natural resources."//

The

issuance of the ICGLR Certificate was introduced as part of the Implementation

of the Pact on Security, Stability, and Development as enshrined in the Great

Lakes Region Act 11 of 2018 to prevent the illegal exploitation of and illicit

trade in designated minerals.

Of the 12

riparian countries, Uganda now becomes the 5th member state in the

issuance of the certificate after DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania while six

other Member States - Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia,

Rwanda, South Sudan and Central African Republic – CAR are

yet to do the same.

The Great Lakes Region got the relevant force of law in Uganda through the Mining and Minerals Act, of 2022 which provides

for the illegal exploitation of and illicit trade in designated minerals such

as gold, cassiterite, wolframite, and coltan originating

in the territory of the Member States, that are subject to the provisions of

the ICGLR Mineral Tracking and Certification Scheme.

According to the Natural Resource Governance

Institute, several industrial minerals such as cobalt, copper, gold, iron ore, tantalite,

steel, and lithium among others form up Uganda’s extractive sector.

Currently based at the Parliament of Uganda, Ochola leads editorial content, stakeholder engagement, and multimedia production focused on governance, justice, and civic affairs. He is a respected voice in the newsroom, recognized for his editorial acumen, ethical standards, and commitment to mentoring emerging journalists.

From 2023 to 2025, Ochola broadened his international experience as Field Coordinator in Uganda for Nihon Denpa News Co., Ltd. (Japan), where he managed multicultural documentary teams