During the commissioning, the President congratulated Wagagai Mining (U) Co., Ltd. for establishing a state-of-the-art refinery capable of producing 99.99% pure gold, noting that for decades Uganda only exported blister copper which was not pure enough for direct use and had to be refined abroad before being re-imported.

He said this cycle was a loss to the country and praised Wagagai for being able to purify gold to 99.99% purity.

“I want to thank Wagagai for listening to my message from the beginning and fully processing the gold. Uganda will get more money,” he noted.

He cautioned that exporting raw materials amounts to cheating Uganda and urged artisanal miners to work with Wagagai so that their gold can be refined locally instead of being sold unprocessed. He added that refined gold can now be used in jewellery, electronics, and other industries and thanked Wagagai for being a “residential teacher” by helping others learn from its example.

“When you export unprocessed minerals, you are cheating Uganda,” he said.

President Museveni also thanked the Government of China for its continued support to Uganda, citing not only investors like Wagagai but also infrastructure projects financed through soft loans.

He called on Ugandans to recognize that there is a time for everything and now it is time to utilize natural resources responsibly, stressing that money from non-renewable minerals and oil should be invested in permanent assets such as durable power stations and the railway.