Uganda Loses Money from Its Mines.
A new report says Uganda is losing a lot of money from its mines. The country has many good things in the ground, like gold and copper, but it does not get much money from what is taken out.
GFI and ACODE wrote the report, which was released in January 2025. It found that many people do bad things in the mining business.
These bad things happen when miners take out rocks and when they sell them. Miners do not pay the money they should to the government. They also send rocks to other countries in secret. And they say they are selling less than they really are.
Most of the mines in Uganda are very small. The people who run them do not always follow the rules. Big mining companies also play tricks. They lie about how much rock they take out. That way, they give less money to the government.
The report says Uganda lost $652 million in just four years because of this. One time, a company sent away a lot of a rock called vermiculite. They did not do it the right way, so Uganda did not get the 102.7 million shillings it should have.
All of Africa loses a lot of money this way. The number is about $88.6 billion every year. Much of this loss comes from mining.
Uganda has laws about mining, but it is difficult for the government to ensure everyone follows them. The report says Uganda should do more to prevent bad things from happening.
It says the government should keep a closer eye on the mines, ensure companies pay the right taxes, prevent people from sneaking rocks out of the country, and work with other countries to catch those who break the rules.
The report has ideas for how Uganda can fix these problems. If it does, more of the money from mining can help Uganda grow. The rocks in the ground belong to all the people. They should be used to make life better for everyone in the country.
A new report says Uganda is losing a lot of money from its mines. The country has many good things in the ground, like gold and copper, but it does not get much money from what is taken out.
GFI and ACODE wrote the report, which was released in January 2025. It found that many people do bad things in the mining business.
These bad things happen when miners take out rocks and when they sell them. Miners do not pay the money they should to the government. They also send rocks to other countries in secret. And they say they are selling less than they really are.
Most of the mines in Uganda are very small. The people who run them do not always follow the rules. Big mining companies also play tricks. They lie about how much rock they take out. That way, they give less money to the government.
The report says Uganda lost $652 million in just four years because of this. One time, a company sent away a lot of a rock called vermiculite. They did not do it the right way, so Uganda did not get the 102.7 million shillings it should have.
All of Africa loses a lot of money this way. The number is about $88.6 billion every year. Much of this loss comes from mining.
Uganda has laws about mining, but it is difficult for the government to ensure everyone follows them. The report says Uganda should do more to prevent bad things from happening.
It says the government should keep a closer eye on the mines, ensure companies pay the right taxes, prevent people from sneaking rocks out of the country, and work with other countries to catch those who break the rules.
The report has ideas for how Uganda can fix these problems. If it does, more of the money from mining can help Uganda grow. The rocks in the ground belong to all the people. They should be used to make life better for everyone in the country.
