Kigezi Iron and Steel Ltd has begun commissioning a mid-scale iron ore beneficiation plant near Butare, Kabale District, targeting a regional market that has long depended on imported billet from Kenya, Egypt and Ukraine. The project is one of the few significant industrial-minerals investments outside Uganda's dominant gold sector, and its progress will be a test of whether the country's iron ore endowment can be turned into productive downstream capacity.
The plant is designed to concentrate hematite ore from surrounding deposits before shipment to steel mills in Jinja and, potentially, to buyers in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Company officials said the phased approach is intended to prove the beneficiation economics before committing to a full smelting line.
The project has drawn attention for its stated commitment to local hiring and to skills transfer, with a technical training partnership announced with Kabale University. UgandaMineralTrust will report on how quickly the plant reaches nameplate throughput, and whether the promised Ugandan technical roles materialise on a durable basis.