ACODE Trains Journalists on Mineral Sector, Revenue Mobilisation

The Directorate of Geological and Mines under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development which is mandated to establish, promote the development, strategically manage, and safeguard the rational and sustainable exploitation and utilization of mineral resources for social and economic development has called on journalists to prioritize investigative and data-driven reporting on Uganda’s mineral sector.

Speaking during a one day Journalist training organized by the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) for 15 journalists, Mr Mukombe Ronnie Prince, officer in charge of communications at the Mineral Development Programme of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) Uganda emphasized the need for media professionals adopt proactive strategies to unearth and disseminate information within the mineral sector.

‘’ We try to use these workshops for journalists to get them to understand how they can report about the mineral sector. The mining department started way back in 1919. It’s been in existence for over 100 years and it has been doing quite a lot in terms of geology but very few people know about it ‘’, said Mukombe .

He added that; ‘’ we have not had really the good coverage as we should and yet the NDP III & IV call about community mobilisation, outreaching, promotion of the mineral sector, sensitization, branding and marketing which all require information dissemination and it’s a role of the media ‘’, added Mukombe who expounded on the status of the implementation of the six tools of the Regional Initiative Against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR) in Uganda.

He said they invited journalists to also share the challenges of reporting about the mineral sector and train them on how they can frame mineral stories, and create the media relations for a working relationship.

Mr Onesmus Mugyenyi Deputy Executive Director of ACODE who opened the workshop, also elucidated the mining law and how it addresses the IFFs along the mineral supply chain.

Dr Paul Bagabo, a country senior officer at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving countries’ governance over their natural resources to promote sustainable and inclusive development, exhaustively discussed how Uganda can leverage revenues from the country’s critical minerals.

On behalf of Journalists, Mr Ismail Musa Ladu discussed the best practices and ethical considerations while reporting on minerals, strategies for effective investigative reporting among other topics.

The workshop, designed to enhance journalists’ understanding of the mining  sector and domestic revenue mobilisation, included sessions on Uganda’s mining policy and legal regime , role of the financial intelligence authority (FIA) in mitigating IFFs in the mining sector by Mr Benjamin Wesonga  , Mining law and how it addresses IFFs along the mineral supply chain , formalisation of artisanal and small –scale mining and addressing revenue leakages by Mr Bwesigye Don Binyima, among other topics.

Journalists were urged to engage industry experts, verify facts, and cross-check information rather than relying solely on unverified sources. The call to action reinforces the need for ethical journalism and the role of the media in shaping public understanding of Uganda’s minerals landscape

ACODE is an independent public policy research and advocacy think tank based in Uganda and working in East and Southern Africa. ACODE is one of the most dynamic and robust regional leaders in cutting-edge public policy research and analysis in a range of areas including governance, trade, environment, and science and technology. ACODE has, for the last four consecutive years, been ranked in the Global Go To Think Tank Index as one of the best think tanks in Uganda and one of the top think tanks in the world.