Commodities

A yellow bulldozer beside a large mining machine and conveyor at an open excavation site.

Uganda should use Makuutu to negotiate up the value chain

Christopher Burke argues that Uganda should use Makuutu’s strategic review to seek commitments on processing, skills and local procurement

Four men working in an open-pit mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Trade deficit

Uganda’s trade deficit hits a record as mineral imports more than double

Uganda’s goods trade deficit reached a record $817mn in August as imports of mineral products excluding petroleum more than doubled, Bank of Uganda figures show

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Irene Muloni, minister for energy and minerals development (right), AGR Business Development Manager Alphonse Katerebe (centre) and two unidentified people stand near gold flakes and ingots at the African Gold Refinery in Entebbe on 20 February 2017. Alain Goetz, the Belgian owner of the refinery, stands next to Mr Museveni, and is partially obscured from view. The refinery was officially launched on 20 February 2017, and is Uganda's first official gold refinery. Uganda's locally mined gold is negligible, but the country is a transit point for gold exports from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has large reserves, and Tanzania, one of Africa's largest gold producers.

Thaba Investments

Nearly half of Uganda’s gold exports come from firm Bloomberg links to sanctioned network

Bloomberg says Thaba, behind nearly half of Uganda's gold exports, shares suppliers with a sanctioned refinery, a claim Thaba and Alain Goetz deny

Jute bags containing coffee beans in a café storage area

Coffee exports

Firmer prices cushion fall in Uganda’s August coffee exports

Uganda's coffee exports fell 13.6 per cent in August as the ICO pointed to a record 2024/25 base and the agriculture minister to drought in growing areas

Bright red coffee cherries growing in dense clusters along the brown branches of a coffee tree, framed by glossy green leaves.

Coffee exports

Robusta shortfall drags down Uganda’s July coffee exports

Uganda's coffee exports declined in July as global prices rose, though annual shipment volumes reached a new high

A detailed shot of the coffee brewing process, showing golden-brown bubbles forming on saturated grounds in a manual pour-over dripper.

Coffee exports

Softer global prices weigh on March coffee export revenues

Uganda posted higher coffee export volumes in March, but revenues declined as global prices eased on improved supply expectations

Rows of filled burlap coffee bags prepared for export shipment, showing company branding, stacked in a warehouse.

February coffee exports rise sharply as volumes climb despite softer prices

February coffee shipments increased significantly, with arabica gains offsetting softer prices amid a more favourable global supply outlook

A stack of Ugandan shilling banknotes—50,000, 20,000, 10,000, and 5,000—arranged in a currency counting machine.

Foreign exchange

Uganda shilling weakens sharply as oil prices and global risk sentiment shift

Rising oil prices and shifting investor sentiment drive Uganda shilling to weakest level since mid-2024

A man in a checked shirt harvests yellow coffee cherries from a coffee plant in Uganda.

Supply chains

UN-backed Shs3.7bn initiative targets Uganda’s coffee seed system overhaul

A €850,000 UNIDO-led initiative targets Uganda’s coffee seed systems to boost yields, farmer incomes and export stability

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