UGANDA: Assessment of implementation readiness

The assessment finds that while Uganda has established a comprehensive legal and policy framework for mining, its actual implementation readiness is medium to low due to severe capacity constraints in monitoring, inspection, and enforcement. Strengths include the public availability of geological data and a progressive variable tax rate for mining companies. However, critical gaps exist in mine closure planning, financial assurance for restoration, and the formalization of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, which accounts for 90% of national production but remains overwhelmingly informal. The report recommends prioritizing socioeconomic benefit optimization, improving post-mining transition frameworks, and increasing transparency in the distribution of mining revenues.

• Uganda has a strong system for geological data transparency, having made comprehensive information covering 80% of the country freely available online through the Geological and Mineral Information System (GMIS) and the Unpublished Document Information System (UDIS).
• The government utilizes a progressive corporate tax system for mining that varies between 25% and 45% based on profit to account for the volatility of international commodity prices.
• There is a pervasive lack of capacity, personnel, and resources for monitoring and enforcing existing mining laws, which undermines the effectiveness of the legal and regulatory environment across all MPF themes.
• Mine closure and post-mining transition are significant weaknesses; the Mining Act does not mandate financial assurance (such as Environmental Performance Bonds) for all developers, leaving it to the Commissioner's discretion.
• The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector is critical to the economy, employing 150,000 to 200,000 people and providing 90% of national production, yet it remains largely informal with fewer than 5% of miners holding required location licenses.
• Revenue transparency is low; royalty payments are integrated into the national budget, and there is a lack of clear processes to ensure these funds reach local governments and landowners.
• Occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations for mining are outdated, dating back to 1949, and are largely not applied to the ASM workforce.
• Uganda lacks domestic legislation to regulate the use of mercury and cyanide in the ASM sector, despite having signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013.
• The permitting process fails to specifically address the rights of indigenous peoples, cultural heritage, or resettlement, despite the Constitution recognizing 56 indigenous communities.

APA

Crawford, A., Disney, K., & Harris, M. (2015). UGANDA: Assessment of implementation readiness. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mpf-uganda-assessment-of-implementation-readiness.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, Kristi Disney, and Melissa Harris. UGANDA: Assessment of implementation readiness. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mpf-uganda-assessment-of-implementation-readiness.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Disney |first2=Kristi |last3=Harris |first3=Melissa |title=UGANDA: Assessment of implementation readiness |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mpf-uganda-assessment-of-implementation-readiness.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2015uganda, author = {Crawford, Alec and Disney, Kristi and Harris, Melissa}, title = {{UGANDA: Assessment of implementation readiness}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mpf-uganda-assessment-of-implementation-readiness.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }