Uganda is set to commence operations in gold mining by March 2024 at Wagagai Gold Mine and Refinery in Alupe, Busia district to enhance gold production.
Tan Jiuchang, the General Manager of Wagagai Mining Limited, revealed the commencement during a site tour at the facility, adding that the company will establish all areas of the mining value chain, including mining, beneficiation, smelting, refining, logistics, and foreign trade sales.
Jiuchang said that, Wagagai Mining Limited is developing a large-scale gold mining and refining multimillion-dollar plant, which was planned and designed by Shandong Gold Design Institute of China.
“Our goal is to have this facility ready for full production and operational by March or April of 2024.”Jiuchang added
According to Jiuchang, the gold mining project has seen an investment of over $200 million and is poised to process up to five tons of gold per day, grading at 99.99% purity.
Meanwhile, covering an area of approximately 9.13sq.km, the mine boasts of proven gold ore reserves of roughly 15 million tons, is expected to exceed 30 million tons of the facility’s Life of 30 years.
Jiuchang stated that the project will offer over 3,000 jobs for Ugandans while generating an annual foreign exchange of approximately $100 million, with the government receiving $10 million in taxes.
Wagagai boasts of a network of underground tunnels, an 800m shaft that will be used to transport gold ore from the mine to the surface for processing, as well as a modern laboratory, storage facilities, and machinery housing units.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa said that the cabinet’s mission was to establish the status of the country’s ongoing initiatives to add value to Uganda’s mineral resources before export, in line with the Presidential ban on the export of unprocessed minerals from Uganda.
Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa, State Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development-Amos Lugoloobi, and State Minister of Defence-Jacob Oboth Oboth, are among those that conducted the site visit on the project’s Cabinet sub-committee.
