Local miners urged to get licenses ahead of new Bill
A local miner uses rudimentary means to process gold at Tiira Trading Centre in Busia District on March 4, 2022. Photo / Philip Wafula
What you need to know:
- According to Ms Nankabirwa, the government needs money, and to acquire the license, you must pay an unspecified amount, which will be used for infrastructural development, especially roads.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, has advised leaders to encourage local miners in their areas to acquire licenses before the new mining Bill comes into force.
According to Ms Nankabirwa, the government needs money, and to acquire the license, you must pay an unspecified amount, which will be used for infrastructural development, especially roads.
The license will also ensure that genuine people are participating in mining activities and will also enable the government to control mining activities in the country.
The minister made the appeal during a tour to gold mines in Busia, cement factories in Tororo and Pozzolana quarrying sites in Kapchorwa, all in Eastern Uganda.
Ms Nankabirwa, accompanied by the State Minister for Minerals, Mr Peter Lokeris, visited Wagagai Mining Uganda Ltd in Busia District, Greenstone Resources Ltd, Tororo Cement Ltd and the Osukuru Phosphate Project, all in Tororo District among others.
The visit was to acquaint the ministers with how mining activities are conducted in those areas, especially with regards to observing human rights, and also offer the ministers a platform to popularise the Bill.
“Uganda is blessed with natural resources; however, the sub-sector continues to face challenges, including low funding, institutional capacity to manage mineral resources, complex nature of artisanal and small-scale conflicts, and environmental degradation despite existing laws,” she said.
Ms Nankabirwa said the Bill also seeks to introduce the production sharing agreement system setup as well as setting up a mineral protection force within the directorate of geological surveys and mines to protect minerals against malpractices and enforce compliance.
“Parliament has passed the new Mining Bill, which now only awaits being assented to by the President; and under it, no one will be allowed to carry out any mining activities without a license.”
According to Ms Nankabirwa, the Bill aims at bridging the unattended gaps by the Mining Act [2003], by seeking to promote transparency of mining operations, organise licenses, regulate and transform artisanal and small-scale mining in Uganda, and create an enabling environment for attracting investments among others.
She, however, said the Bill is misunderstood to favour foreign investors and restrict the locals from benefiting from their own natural resources.
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“The overall goal of the Bill is to ensure that mining is streamlined to enable the government to get money to work on roads leading to the mines and quarries,” she said, adding that her ministry is considering having a provision in the Bill that regulates sand, marram, and clay excavation.
