Chinese-owned project in Uganda is set to refine gold to 99.9 %

The $250m Chinese-owned project, located in the east of Uganda, is set to refine gold to 99.9% purity, as per the announcement from the president’s office, reported Reuters.

President Yoweri Museveni emphasised the importance of value addition, stating: “In order to wake up in the minerals sector, we must have full value addition for all minerals like gold, lithium, tin, among others.”

The Wagagai Gold mining project, owned by Wagagai Mining (U), spans more than 9km² in the Busia district and was recently inaugurated by Museveni.

The plant, which has commenced operations, is set to process 5,000 tonnes of gold ore per day and produce approximately 1.2t of refined gold annually. This output starkly contrasts with Uganda’s total domestic production of just 0.0042t in 2023.