Uganda: An agreement to process artisanal gold from Karamoja locally

A Ugandan refinery and an association of gold miners from Karamoja have sealed a partnership aimed at formalizing artisanal gold mining and processing more of it on national soil. Euro Gold Refinery and the Kakoka Artisanal Miners Association, based in the Abim district in the country's northeast, signed a memorandum of understanding on August 11, 2026, reports the Kampala-based newspaper The Independent in its September 25, 2026 edition.

Technical assistance in exchange for traceable production

Under the terms of the agreement, the refinery commits to providing miners with technical assistance, support for the development of mining infrastructure, the promotion of responsible mining practices, and value-added processing on-site. The company is led by Benard Feni. The initiative targets an artisanal sector that is largely informal, with a significant portion of production bypassing official channels.

Euro Gold Refinery, which began operations in July 2025, operates in six gold-bearing areas of the country: Busia, Mubende, Buhweju, Kassanda, West Nile, and Karamoja. According to The Independent, 70% of its staff consists of Ugandan workers trained in refining trades. Furthermore, in April 2026, the company signed a contract with the Bank of Uganda, the central bank, as part of the establishment of national gold reserves—a direction that several African central banks have adopted to reduce their exposure to foreign currencies.

Billions leaving the country without oversight

Karamoja, in the northeast of the country, is one of Uganda's poorest regions, where artisanal mining supports entire communities on the margins of the legal framework, at the mercy of middlemen who set the prices. The Minister of State for Minerals, Phiona Nyamutoro, is involved in this formalization process, the newspaper indicates.

Karamoja, one of the poorest regions in Uganda, has for years been the site of gold mining activity carried out by thousands of unlicensed diggers, often women, who are exposed to accidents as well as to middlemen who dictate prices. The Minister of State for Minerals, Phiona Nyamutoro, is involved in this formalization process, the newspaper indicates.

The challenge extends beyond Uganda. From Ghana to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the issue is the same: a continent that exports its raw materials cedes the most lucrative part of the chain to others. Refining locally, tracing production, and bringing artisanal miners into a legal framework that protects them rather than criminalizing them is one of the conditions for African gold to benefit Africans first. It remains to be seen whether the Abim agreement will translate into real income for the miners.