Uganda
Uganda was estimated to be the world’s sixth-ranked producer of pumice
Pictured: a pumice deposit
Statistics and information on the mining industry in Uganda.
Overview
In 2024, Uganda was estimated to be the world’s sixth-ranked producer of pumice (including pumicite) and seventh-ranked producer of vermiculite, accounting for 4.1% and 5.1% of world production, respectively. Other mineral commodities produced included cement, clay (brick and kaolin), gold, iron ore, lead (refined, secondary), lime, salt, sand and gravel, steel, stone, and tungsten.
In fiscal year 2024 (which started on July 1, 2023, and ended on June 30, 2024), the manufacturing sector (which included cement, refined lead, and steel production) accounted for 15% of the gross domestic product, and the mining and quarrying sector (including hydrocarbons), 1.3%. The value of output in the mining and quarrying sector increased by 3.2% in fiscal year 2024 compared with 5.0% (revised) in fiscal year 2023. Gold remained Uganda’s leading export in 2024, representing 40% (\$4.20 billion) of the country’s \$10.6 billion total export revenue. The legislative framework for the mineral sector is provided by the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, alongside the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines, oversees the mineral sector in Uganda. Most of the mining and mineral-processing operations were privately owned, with artisanal mining constituting a substantial segment.
Uganda’s vermiculite production was centered in the Manafwa District, while pumice and pozzolan production was concentrated across the volcanic belts of the west and east to support the national cement industry. Most pumice and pozzolan production in Uganda was performed by artisanal and small-scale miners who sold their raw materials to large cement producers such as Hima Cement Ltd. and Tororo Cement Ltd. The production of vermiculite was a more industrialized, large-scale commercial operation.
In 2024, Uganda was estimated as the world’s sixth-ranked producer of pumice (including pumicite) and seventh-ranked producer of vermiculite, accounting for 4.1% and 5.1% of world production, respectively. Other mineral commodities produced included cement, clay (brick and kaolin), gold, iron ore, lead (refined, secondary), lime, salt, sand and gravel, steel, stone, and tungsten. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). In fiscal year 2024 (which started on July 1, 2023, and ended on June 30, 2024), the manufacturing sector (which included cement, refined lead, and steel production) accounted for 15% of the gross domestic product, and the mining and quarrying sector (including hydrocarbons), 1.3%. The value of output in the mining and quarrying sector increased by 3.2% in fiscal year 2024 compared with 5.0% (revised) in fiscal year 2023. Gold remained Uganda’s leading export in 2024, representing 40% (\$4.20 billion) of the country’s \$10.6 billion total export revenue (Bank of Uganda, 2026; Crangle, 2026; Simmons, 2026; Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2026, p. 204, 228).
The legislative framework for the mineral sector is provided by the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, alongside the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines, oversees the mineral sector in Uganda. Most of the mining and mineral-processing operations were privately owned, with artisanal mining constituting a substantial segment. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities (Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, 2022). More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Africa and Middle East, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/afric…;
Commodity Review
Pumice and Vermiculite.—Uganda’s vermiculite production was centered in the Manafwa District, while pumice and pozzolan production was concentrated across the volcanic belts of the west and east to support the national cement industry. Most pumice and pozzolan production was performed by artisanal and small-scale miners who sold their raw materials to large cement producers such as Hima Cement Ltd. and Tororo Cement Ltd. The production of vermiculite was a more industrialized, large-scale commercial operation (Facilities table).
Production table
(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)
| Commodity | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beryl | 186 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0e |
| Cement, hydraulic | 3,737,900 | 4,604,800 | 4,659,000 | 4,900,000e | 5,300,000e |
| Clays, brick clay | 13,000,000e | 16,500,000e | 16,000,000e | 16,000,000e | 16,000,000e |
| Diatomite | 96 | 433 | 21e | 0 | 0e |
| Gold, mine, Au content (kilograms) | 2,500e | 2,900e | 3,200e | 3,200e | 3,200e |
| Gold, refinery (kilograms) | 12,000e1 | 6,000e1 | 3,8972 | 38,8783 | 47,9973 |
| Iron ore, mine | 0 | 57,169 | 102,600 | 361,193 | 360,000e |
| Iron ore, mine, Fe content | 0e | 35,400e | 64,000e | 224,000e | 224,000e |
| Kaolin | 12,014 | 10,264 | 226 | 8,809 | 8,800e |
| Lead, refinery, secondary | 700e | 450e | 500e | 500e | 500e |
| Lime | 200,000e | 210,000e | 210,000e | 210,000e | 210,000e |
| Niobium and tantalum, mine, concentrates (kilograms) | 172,660 | 30,000 | 0 | 0 | 0e |
| Niobium, mine, concentrates, Nb content | 7e | 1e | 0e | 0e | 0e |
| Pumice and related materials, pozzolan | 1,036,470 | 1,535,089 | 749,364 | 1,051,297 | 1,100,000e |
| Raw steel | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 430,000 | 430,000 |
| Salt | 15,000e | 15,000e | 10,000e | 13,000e | 15,000e |
| Sand and gravel, construction, sand | 4,600,000e | 5,700,000e | 5,900,000e | 6,200,000e | 6,600,000e |
| Stone, crushed, aggregate | 9,000,000e | 11,000,000e | 11,500,000e | 12,000,000e | 13,000,000e |
| Stone, crushed, limestone | 687,027 | 890,371 | 745,377 | 795,074 | 850,000e |
| Stone, crushed, syenitic | 41,638 | 9,806 | 89,231 | 106,879 | 110,000e |
| Stone, dimension, granite | 103 | 483 | 205 | 97 | 100e |
| Stone, dimension, marble | 3,969 | 4,332 | 5,169 | 7,478 | 8,000e |
| Stone, dimension, other | 1,900,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,600,000 | 2,800,000e |
| Tantalum, mine, concentrates, Ta content | 42e | 7e | 0e | 0e | 0e |
| Tin, mine, concentrates, placer, Sn content | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0e |
| Tungsten, mine, concentrates, W content | 11 | 41 | 63 | 28e | 33e |
| Vermiculite | 14,170 | 21,754 | 22,947 | 23,837 | 24,000e |
References Cited
- Bank of Uganda, 2026, Composition of exports values and volumes: Kampala, Uganda, Bank of Uganda, February. (Accessed February 10, 2026, via https://www.bou.or.ug/bouwebsite/Statistics/.)
- Crangle, Rob, 2026, Pumice and pumicite: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 148–149.
- Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, 2022, The Mining and Minerals Act: Kampala, Uganda, Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, 264 p. (Accessed May 06, 2026, at https://bills.parliament.ug/attachments/The%20Mining%20and%20Minerals%2….)
- Simmons, K.J., 2026, Vermiculite: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 204–205.
- Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2026, 2024 statistical abstract: Kampala, Uganda, Uganda Bureau of Statistics, June, 346 p. (Accessed January 31, 2026, via https://www.ubos.org/?pagename=explore-publications&p_id=74.)