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Uganda looking for mining investors as price of Copper hits record high

Published

1 year ago

April 13, 2022

The Ministry of Finance and Mining Uganda said on Tuesday that it was inviting investors who are interested in mining within and outside the county to revive a vast copper mine in the country’s west that also holds significant cobalt deposits.

The ministry made the disclosure in a joint statement, noting that the government was open to partnership with the private sector to revive mining.

“We have invited companies to express their interest in partnering with the government through a mineral production sharing agreement,”

“The redevelopment of Kilembe Mines will have a catalytic effect of facilitating industrialization, offer significant employment opportunities and increase revenue.”

The Kilembe Mines is Uganda’s largest copper mine, with estimated deposits of copper in excess of 4,000,000 tonnes and an undetermined amount of cobalt ore. In addition, there are approximately 2,800 acres (1,100 ha), of unexplored acreage at the site.

Since the beginning of 2022, the price of Copper has hit a record height and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is eager to expand the exploration of the country’s mineral wealth – which includes gold, base metals, uranium, rare piles of earth, iron, titanium, vermiculite, and diamonds – to help boost growth.

The mine began operations in 1950 and there are an estimated four million tonnes of copper ore beneath the mountains of Kilembe, located about 380 kilometers southwest of Kampala. The firm however collapsed in 1982 as the Ugandans who were put in charge of the new parastatal, Kilembe Mines Ltd, did not have the required expertise to run it.

Related Topics:copper Featured Kilembe mine Uganda

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Kenya: Parliament approves appointment of Kamau Thugge as central bank governor

Published

18 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Months after throwing open the position for the country’s top banker, Kenya’s parliament has approved the appointment of Kamau Thugge as the country’s central bank governor.

The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the
appointment of economist and senior civil servant who was nominated by President William Ruto as the next apex bank chief.

Thugge, who served as principal secretary in the finance ministry until mid-2018, was nominated after serving as one of the president’s senior economic advisers since late last year.

He shook off competition from others shortlisted candidates like Adan Mohamed, who served in the cabinet from 2013-2022, with four others also interviewed for the role.

The new central bank governor will be faced with the immediate pressure of stabilizing the country’s monetary policy as the East African giant currently faces a shortage of funds amidst rising public debt.

Despite the odds, the World Bank in a report earlier today expects growth to edge up to 5.0% in 2023, underpinned by a recovery in agriculture.

VenturesNow

Ghana presents ‘working proposal’ for debt restructuring— IMF sources

Published

18 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

West African country, Ghana has made a major move at resolving its debt crisis as the country has presented debt restructuring proposal to its creditors.

According to sources quoted by Reuters, a “working proposal” has been submitted to help the country escape its worst economic crisis in a generation.

One of the sources revealed that the proposal was a first attempt to engage the official creditor committee after its formation in May. It should be recalled that the Paris Club last month announced that official sector of creditors of Ghana had formed a committee co-chaired by China and France for debt restructuring talks.

The plan is to end restructuring of domestic debt before turning to negotiations with its official bilateral creditors and international bondholders, a government official said.

Ghana is one of several cash-strapped countries facing unprecedented delays in getting bailouts as China, its biggest bilateral creditor with about $1.7 billion of debt and Western economies disagree over how debt relief should be structured.

The first formal review of the programme will hold in the coming months as an IMF team will visit Ghana between 8th and 15th of June.