Stringent laws needed on extractive industry in Uganda

By Charles Katabalwa

26^th Oct 2023

Experts and practitioners in the extractives industry have warned of adverse effects on Uganda unless there is strict regulation and transparency.

Recently, the government has enacted different laws and drawn policies aimed at ensuring proper exploitation of the resources for the benefit of the citizens, protection of the environment, and generally, national transformation.

However, Dr Busingye Kabumba, a Makerere University lecturer says considering how the existing extractives, like gold, forests, and others, are being illegally exploited, the laws and regulations will not help citizens benefit from the industry when more lucrative products like oil and rare earths are got.

He was speaking along other speakers at the Citizens Convention on Extractives 2023 National Conference featuring government departments, NGOs, and members from academia.

In his paper, Extraction and Constitutional Reconstruction, Kabumba argued that the debate on the successful exploration of the country’s mineral wealth should start with “state and constitutional reconstruction” which would also ensure a more positive view of the country’s resources by the state.

Winfred Ngabiirwe, the Executive Director, Global Rights Alert says that if the challenge of illicit financial flows is not tackled Uganda as a country will not benefit from the many minerals that have been discovered.

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