BUSIA — State Minister for Minerals Phiona Nyamutoro has pledged to secure a mining licence for the Chinese-backed Runjin Mining Holdings gold project in Busia within two months, ending a prolonged wait that has delayed full-scale production.
Nyamutoro committed during a visit to the company’s mining site in Tiira Town Council, Busia District, where she inspected the project’s infrastructure and operations.
The minister said the investment had demonstrated significant potential and deserved government support, while acknowledging delays in the licensing process.
“This has demonstrated quite a potential investment that we should support. I have committed that there has been a lag in licensing. We are undergoing a review of the process at ministerial level and in a period of two months, we should be able to issue a proper licence.”
Runjin Mining Holdings has already established infrastructure at the site and employs more than 60 Ugandans but cannot commence full production without the required licence.
Nyamutoro said the government was also engaging the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to reduce delays associated with environmental approvals for mining projects.
“We are in discussions with NEMA to see how best we can come to a harmonised point. We are asking them to constitute a particular desk that handles mining issues so that the bureaucracy is reduced,” she said.
The proposed arrangement would create a dedicated channel for mining-related environmental approvals, which the minister said could help streamline the licensing process.
Johny Sasirwe, Strategic Ugandan Partner at Runjin Mining Holdings, said the project would expand significantly once the licence is secured.
“When you go deeper underground, we shall start developing some roads there to get materials from different sides, so it will become very busy. We are also going to start the construction of the processing plant, which will need people too.”
The planned expansion is expected to create additional employment as the company develops underground mining operations and constructs a processing plant.
For residents and artisanal miners in Tiira, the project also represents an opportunity to address some of the risks associated with informal mining, particularly the use of unsafe mining methods and child labour.
Paul Angesu, Chairperson of the Tiira Landlords and Artisanal Miners Association, welcomed the investment, saying modern mining companies could introduce safer technologies and reduce the involvement of children in mining.
“We need more of these developers. They are bringing new technologies. These developers are also going to help the Government to eliminate the element of school dropouts by not employing children under the age of 18.”
The pledge comes as Uganda seeks to attract greater investment into its mining sector while tightening regulation of mineral extraction.
