Uganda is increasingly cementing its position as a leader in gold mining and exports. Latest figures show that gold exports generated $5.21 billion (UGX18.23 trillion) between November 2024 and October 2025. In October 2025 alone, gold export earnings increased to $964.6 million.
The Performance of the Economy Report for November 2025 by the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development states that gold was the single largest contributor to exports.
The report states that gold and coffee together accounted for 76.6% of Uganda’s total export earnings, highlighting the increasing concentration of exports around high-value commodities.
Gold export trend
| October 2024 | $317.76 million |
| November 2024 | $268.08 million |
| December 2024 | $301 million |
| January 2025 | $323.84 million |
| February 2025 | $318.71 million |
| March 2025 | $385.08 million |
| April 2025 | $462.86 million |
| May 2025 | $485.83 million |
| June 2025 | $477.37 million |
| July 2025 | $584.18 million |
| August 2025 | $526.33 million |
| September 2025 | $410.99 million |
| October 2025 | $964.6 million |
According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Eng. Irene Pauline Batebe, Uganda’s gold sector is making remarkable strides, reflecting the Government’s strategic policy of promoting value addition and industrialization of the mining sector.
Uganda now operates nine gold refineries, ensuring that locally refined gold reaches 99.99% purity, which meets international standards and enhances the competitiveness of the country’s exports.
The Government has also launched its first large-scale gold mining project in Wagagai, Busia, in southeastern Uganda, and this has significantly increased domestic gold production.
The Government, to support informed investment decisions, is actively quantifying the country’s mineral resources, which is expected to attract both domestic and international investors.
There are also efforts to establish mineral markets and buying centres to streamline mineral trading, improve revenue collection, and enhance transparency in the minerals sector.
The Government is also formalizing and regulating artisanal and small-scale miners and enabling them to operate within a legal and regulated framework while boosting productivity and safety standards.
There are also initiatives to support the Uganda National Mining Company in investing in high-value minerals in order to position the country to capture more of the value chains from extraction to export.
According to Batebe, these interventions are collectively strengthening the mineral sector, increasing export potential, and contributing to broader economic growth while ensuring that the country benefits more from its natural resources, while building a sustainable and formalized mining industry.
Meanwhile, several other export commodities registered notable increases on both a monthly and an annual basis. Coffee export earnings increased to $185.1 million in October 2025, up from $139.05 million in October 2024.
The rise was attributed mainly to higher export volumes, which grew by 37.7% from 500,000 to 680,000 60-kilogramme bags.
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(Reproduced from The New Vision)
