- analysisCritical minerals
DR Congo concentrate ban raises the stakes for Uganda
Kinshasa has stopped exports of copper and cobalt concentrates with immediate effect and added new taxes on by-products. For Uganda, which is drafting its own value-addition rules, the question is whether processing capacity can be built before export restrictions bite.
Timothy Waiswa · Regional policy · Kampala
August 6, 2026 - analysisCritical minerals
Makuutu drawn into Western critical minerals planning
A 532 million tonne ionic clay resource with an unusually heavy rare earth basket has moved from development curiosity to strategic asset. Funding, not geology, is the constraint.
Timothy Waiswa · Ionic Rare Earths, Rwenzori Rare Metals · Mayuge
August 4, 2026 - analysisCritical minerals
Strategic review at Makuutu rare earths
Even so, ionic Rare Earths has opened a strategic review of the Makuutu rare earths project, putting funding, partnership and development options for one of Uganda's most advanced critical-minerals assets back on the table.
Timothy Waiswa · Ionic Rare Earths · Mayuge and Bugiri
July 31, 2026 - analysisCritical minerals
Graphite interest runs ahead of the drilling
Central and western occurrences are being sampled for flake quality. Anode-grade qualification is a long, expensive road that most projects do not finish.
Timothy Waiswa · Exploration licensees, DGSM · Central and Western Uganda
June 20, 2026 - analysisCritical minerals
Uganda's gold refining capacity expands in 2026
Domestic refining capacity is rising as plants in Busia and Entebbe scale output, shifting more of Uganda's gold value chain onshore and strengthening the case for formalised supply from licensed concessions.
Prossy Kansiime · Multiple refiners · Busia and Wakiso
April 28, 2026 - analysisCritical minerals
Karamoja limestone corridor draws new investment
On the ground, industrial minerals in Karamoja are attracting investment as cement and construction demand rises, but local leaders warn that land agreements must be settled before quarries scale.
Loyce Nakut · Multiple operators · Moroto and Napak
March 31, 2026 - positiveCritical minerals
Makuutu completes rare earths demo plant
Rwenzori Rare Metals confirmed completion of a demonstration processing plant at Makuutu in late 2024, a milestone for one of Africa's few advanced ionic-adsorption-clay rare earth projects.
Timothy Waiswa · Rwenzori Rare Metals / Ionic Rare Earths · Bugweri
November 14, 2024 - positiveCritical minerals
Makuutu Rare Earths secures 21-year licence
Rwenzori Rare Metals' Makuutu project in Bugweri secured a 21-year large-scale mining licence, potentially making Uganda one of the few African producers of ionic-adsorption-clay rare earth elements.
Timothy Waiswa · Rwenzori Rare Metals / Ionic Rare Earths · Bugweri
July 18, 2023 - positiveCritical minerals
Akelikongo nickel exploration progresses
Now, ASX-listed Sipa Resources' Akelikongo project has continued to generate encouraging drill intercepts, adding a nickel-copper-cobalt story to Uganda's growing critical-minerals prospectus.
Aine Kansiime · Sipa Resources · Nwoya
April 20, 2023