• Latest

Op-Ed: How Uganda can build a sustainable and competitive critical minerals sector

July 12, 2025
Jinja Diocese Bishop Charles Wamika Dies at 72

Jinja Diocese Bishop Charles Wamika Dies at 72

October 22, 2025
Women in Leadership: Shaping the Future with Courage and Vision

Women in Leadership: Shaping the Future with Courage and Vision

October 22, 2025
VINAStech Advert
Nyanjura Runs to Bisaka for Political Blessings

Nyanjura Runs to Bisaka for Political Blessings

October 22, 2025

West Nile Region: President Museveni’s Message Focused on Consolidating Peace, Promoting Wealth Creation and Development

October 22, 2025
Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

October 22, 2025
63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

46 Confirmed Dead as Police Revises Gulu Highway Death Toll

October 22, 2025
PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

October 22, 2025

Why Uganda’s mineral wealth has not translated into prosperity

October 22, 2025
63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

October 22, 2025

All the reasons Mitooma voters are calling for Kyarampe to win the Woman MP seat

October 22, 2025

Namirembe Blessious: A New Voice Rising for Western Uganda’s Youth

October 21, 2025
Presidential Advisor rallies local artistes, radio presenters to canvas votes for Museveni

Presidential Advisor rallies local artistes, radio presenters to canvas votes for Museveni

October 20, 2025
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • News
    Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

    Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    46 Confirmed Dead as Police Revises Gulu Highway Death Toll

    PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

    PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    Suzan’s Story: A Painful Reminder That HIV Is Still With Us

    Men Sucking Women’s Breasts Doesn’t Prevent Cancer, Oncologists

    Men Sucking Women’s Breasts Doesn’t Prevent Cancer, Oncologists

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
  • News
    Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

    Kyarampe Nominated for Mitooma District Woman MP Seat, Calls for Unity and Support Across Party Lines

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    46 Confirmed Dead as Police Revises Gulu Highway Death Toll

    PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

    PA Rugambwa Fulfills Mattresses Pledge Made to Rukungiri Residents

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    63 Passengers Perish in Road Crash on Gulu Highway

    Suzan’s Story: A Painful Reminder That HIV Is Still With Us

    Men Sucking Women’s Breasts Doesn’t Prevent Cancer, Oncologists

    Men Sucking Women’s Breasts Doesn’t Prevent Cancer, Oncologists

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinions

Op-Ed: How Uganda can build a sustainable and competitive critical minerals sector

Columnist by Columnist
July 12, 2025
in Opinions
0
350
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on X

Op-Ed:
Editor, in May this year, the government officially handed over the assets of Kilembe Mines Limited to Sarrai Group, which had earlier been announced as the winner of a long- drawn out bid to assume control of the copper and cobalt mines in Kasese. Also last month in June 2025, the Ugandan President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, launched the Uganda National Mining Company (UNMC) and the key mining laws such as the Mining and Minerals Act were amended as to ready the country for mining of critical raw and other minerals.

The UNMC company was launched at a time when there is immense global interest in critical minerals, which are deemed essential for the clean energy transition as well as militarization and digitalization efforts. These minerals range from lithium, nickel to cobalt. Others include copper, graphite, rare earth, manganese, aluminum, chromium and others.

READ ALSO

Ready to eat or ready to waste? Uganda’s food habits in focus

President Museveni’s Campaign Trail in Lango Sub-region: A Push for Wealth Creation and Development

The minerals present in Uganda are of high or moderate importance to the production of clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and battery storage, electricity transmission lines and other technologies needed to wean the world off fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to address climate change concerns.

Kilembe copper and cobalt mines

Critical raw materials are considered so essential that geopolitical tensions between China and the West have been further stocked because China has vast access to and is home to some of them. Uganda is also home to key minerals.

According to the “Status of Domestication of the Africa Mining Vision in Uganda” report, the country is endowed with over 50 different minerals and ranks among African countries with the most significant number of minerals.

While these critical minerals have been deemed necessary to drive the clean energy transition and address the climate crisis, it is noted that the production of critical and other minerals are faced with challenges such as human rights violation, environmental degradation and biodiversity conservation challenges among others. The extraction of minerals causes adverse effects on the environment and open up biodiverse protected areas that are key to addressing the climate crisis to mining.

Note that there have also been many documented instances of environmental pollution caused by mining operations, which are often caused by clearance of vegetation for mines, use of chemicals in mining, poor waste management and others. For instance, lithium mining in Ghana has destroyed habitats, deprived communities and wildlife of fresh water, poisoned ecosystems and threatened species. Also Uganda’s copper mining (1956-1982) activities left a legacy of environmental damage, water pollution, soil contamination and others in Kasese district.

Therefore, as Uganda engages in efforts to strengthen mining for critical minerals in the country, it is imperative that the Ugandan government considers addressing challenges affecting the mining sector while encouraging participation in the critical minerals trade.

This can be done through enforcing strong environmental laws to protect people and nature. Government should ensure that Strategic Environment Assessments (SEAs) as well as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) are undertaken for all mining projects to identify potential environmental impacts and develop environment as well as Social Management Plans to mitigate them.

Olivia Atuhaire, Ugandan Environmentalist

Government should also build alliances with other African countries that are involved in mining for critical minerals to set up value addition centres and strengthen bargaining power to capture some of the world market. Without building alliances to pool capital and build collective bargaining power, African nations such as Uganda are unlike to retain adequate value from participation in the critical minerals trade.
By Olive Atuhaire,
The Writer is a Climate Activist
Email: atuhaireolivia72.ao@gmail.com

Tags: African Mining VisionEnvironmental and Social Impact AssessmentsKilembe MinesMinerals in AfricaMinerals in UgandaMining in UgandaStrategic Environment AssessmentsSustainable Mineral SectorUganda National Mining Company (UNMC)

Related Posts

Opinions

Ready to eat or ready to waste? Uganda’s food habits in focus

October 16, 2025
Opinions

President Museveni’s Campaign Trail in Lango Sub-region: A Push for Wealth Creation and Development

October 16, 2025
Bobi Wine Miscalculated on Abolishing PDM
Opinions

Bobi Wine Miscalculated on Abolishing PDM

October 11, 2025
CLIMATE ACTION REPORTS

Empower youth to raise awareness about the benefits of renewable energy

October 10, 2025
Stop EACOP Financing Now: Prioritize Human Rights and the Environment
Climate Change

Investigate corruption incidents on the development of finished oil pipeline

October 7, 2025
Government Gives Teachers One Week to End Strike or Face Dismissal
Opinions

Teachers vow to stay home despite Minister Muruli’s Intimidations

October 3, 2025
Next Post
Civil Society Groups Condemn EACOP Financing

Op-Ed: Why oil is not a critical mineral

POPULAR NEWS

Minister Amongi, Akena Scrapped from EC Voters’ Register Oops

Minister Amongi, Akena Scrapped from EC Voters’ Register Oops

September 3, 2025
Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

February 16, 2025

“Life Is Scum”: Kabale University Student Leaves Suicide Note, Takes Own Life

July 25, 2025

Former IGP Okoth Ogola Dies

February 14, 2025

CAF Warns Fans Against Obscene and Politically Charged Jerseys at Namboole

August 20, 2025

EDITOR'S PICK

LEM Mindfulness Takes Mental Health Awareness Campaigns to Mitooma Schools

LEM Mindfulness Takes Mental Health Awareness Campaigns to Mitooma Schools

September 24, 2025

Breast Milk Bank To Save Life Of New Born Babies

November 28, 2021
Tibuhaburwa to address the nation today

Tibuhaburwa to address the nation today

January 12, 2021

Amuriat asks Muslims to help the needy

July 9, 2022
VINAStech advert VINAStech advert VINAStech advert
ADVERTISEMENT

About

Parrots Media

A Public Relations and Media Services Company registered and licensed to operate in Uganda and the Great Lakes Region.

Follow us

Categories

  • Business
  • BUSINESS REPORTS
  • CLIMATE ACTION REPORTS
  • Climate Change
  • COMMUNITY REPORTS
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • FEATURES
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • News
  • OBITUARY
  • Obituary
  • Opinions
  • RELIGION
  • Religion
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • TOURISM

Recent Updates

  • Jinja Diocese Bishop Charles Wamika Dies at 72
  • Women in Leadership: Shaping the Future with Courage and Vision
  • Nyanjura Runs to Bisaka for Political Blessings
  • West Nile Region: President Museveni’s Message Focused on Consolidating Peace, Promoting Wealth Creation and Development
October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

No Result
View All Result
  • Parrots Media
  • News
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Others
    • Climate Change
    • Education
    • Religion
    • Opinions

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

You cannot copy content of this page