Karamoja region, well-endowed with several minerals like gold, limestone, uranium, marble, graphite, gypsum, iron, wolfram, nickel, copper, cobalt, lithium, and tin, has yet another rare gem, known as Gum Arabic.
Gum Arabic is a natural secretion from hardened sap found on specific trees. It can be used in printing, photography, textiles, making food spices, and in the pharmaceutical industry. It can also be used to make beverages like Coca-Cola and Guinness. Additionally, it is used in sweets, glue paints, and inks, among others.
According to a study by Simon P. Agadu and Patrick Mucunguzi from the Department of Botany at Makerere University, Gum Arabic is produced by six tree species in the region. These include Balanites aegyptica, Acacia senegal, Acacia seyal, Acacia sieberiana, Acacia gerrardii, and Lanea humilis.
The study also shows that Gum Arabic is not only used by the community in Karamoja for local food and gumming spears, but it is also a potential resource for exploitation.
“Gum trees serve many purposes. Groups of mainly women and children in the age range of 5–12 collect the gum and deliver the raw gum to the leaders for marketing, who in return receive cash payments on delivery, “the study showed.
The sap-like substance that exudes from the fissures and wounds of Acacia trees and hardens after a few weeks into shiny amber-colored globules has attracted many foreign traders and investors who opened shops in the region and are buying the sap in large quantities.
In 2010, an investor from Ireland, Maurice Healy, CEO of the Maurice Healy Group, said that he would fund 50% of the activities of Karamoja’s Uganda Gum Arabic society. However, he said he did not realize their potential investment until the quality of the gum was established.
Abdi Simo, Chairperson of Kenya Assal Resource Agency Limited, revealed in 2013 that the Karamoja region has a lot of Gum Arabic, but people are not aware of the gem that could improve their livelihoods.
According to Jimmy Lomokol, the Chairperson of the Karamoja Gum Arabic Association, in 2021, a kilogram of Gum Arabic cost UGX 1,000, yet it went for approximately UGX 2.3 million per tonne at Mombasa.
He further said that there is high demand for gum within and outside Uganda, yet the local people are not taking the opportunity up.
“This gum is very expensive and has a high demand, but our people here don’t mind about it. We have tried to sensitive them not to destroy it, but they are adamant,” he said, speaking to a local media house.
With little known about the government’s involvement in boosting the trade of Gum Arabic, some reports have shown its contribution in identifying the region of Karamoja as having the potential to produce significant quantities of this gem.
Investors, including the US firm Atlantic Gum Corporation, were seen initiating efforts to commercially exploit Gum Arabic in Uganda, aiming to produce up to 20,000 tonnes.
This move is significant as Uganda could potentially earn $80 million annually from gum Arabic exports, surpassing even the current leading commodity, coffee.
