Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Amb. Col. (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye, has urged mining companies in the region to pursue joint partnerships, saying small-scale operators working alone struggle to attract the capital, skills and markets needed to expand.
Mwesigye was speaking at the 15th Annual Mineral Wealth Conference and Expo at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala, where the Uganda High Commission in Dar es Salaam supported 18 Tanzanian mining companies and organisations to attend. The September 29–30 conference, themed “Unlocking Africa’s Next Mining Powerhouse,” was organised by the Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
“Our primary objective is to create a platform where African practitioners in the industry of mining come together and discuss and maybe create joint partnerships,” Mwesigye said. “When they are together, they are stronger. But when we operate individually, we are weaker.”
The Tanzanian delegation included the Tanzania Chamber of Mines, AngloGold Ashanti Tanzania, Shanta Mining, Tembo Nickel Corporation, Faru Graphite Corporation, Buckreef Gold, Williamson Diamonds, Kabanga Nickel and the Ngualla Project, among others. Participants also came from Zambia and Malawi.
Mwesigye said the companies were interested in partnerships that could help them attract resources, increase production capacity and add value to minerals.
He said the mission also uses such engagements to follow up on whether participants implement what they learn. The High Commission has previously taken Ugandan small and medium-scale miners to Tanzania, including Geita, to learn from Tanzanian counterparts.
Mwesigye said Tanzania had made progress in organising and licensing small-scale miners and developing markets for their minerals. He said the exchanges had helped Ugandan miners pursue licensing, organisation and value addition.
The conference also brought together Ugandan diplomats from missions in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ economic and commercial diplomacy programme. Amb. Richard Kabonero, head of regional economic cooperation and economic and commercial diplomacy, led the delegation.
Humphrey Asiimwe, chief executive of the Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals, said the ministry had helped mobilise investors through Uganda’s missions abroad. He said more than 1,000 delegates from 30 countries attended the conference, with 81 companies exhibiting.
State Minister for Energy Sidronius Opolot Okaasai said Uganda was moving to stop the export of unprocessed minerals and had introduced policy and legal measures to encourage local processing and refining.
He said the government plans to strengthen the minerals sector through a policy arm, an independent regulator and a national mining company, while increasing exploration for critical minerals such as phosphate and rare earth elements.
The push for stronger Uganda-Tanzania mining ties comes amid growing bilateral trade. Mwesigye has previously said trade between the two countries reached about $2.23 billion in 2024, although Uganda recorded a substantial trade deficit with Tanzania.
He said removing tariff and non-tariff barriers remained important and that the mission was engaging stakeholders to address legal and financial obstacles affecting cross-border business.
The two countries have also intensified wider economic cooperation, including discussions around energy, petroleum transport, ports and railways.
Mwesigye said the mission’s economic diplomacy efforts extend beyond mining, citing growing Tanzanian interest in buses manufactured by Kiira Motors Corporation in Uganda.