Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has officially inaugurated a gold refinery, mainly owned by a Belgian investor, in the lakeside town of Entebbe, despite concerns about the origin of the precious metal, the AP news agency reports.
The value of gold exports from Uganda has risen in recent years despite the fact that little is mined locally.
At least some of Uganda’s gold exports are likely to be from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, raising concerns about conflict minerals, AP quotes campaign group Global Witness as saying.
Its representative, George Boden, added:
Uganda’s gold sector is shrouded in mystery. You have to ask who is really benefiting. The gold trade was worth $200 million to the Ugandan economy last year but there are no official figures on where the gold came from or where it is going.”
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