KAMPALA, Jan 21 – Uganda’s gold exports surged nearly 76% in 2025, reaching $5.8 billion, as record global bullion prices and an influx of new dealers boosted shipments, the country’s central bank said.
Gold has now overtaken coffee as Uganda’s largest export and primary source of foreign exchange, underscoring a structural shift in the country’s export profile.
According to the Bank of Uganda, bullion exports rose from $3.3 billion in 2024 to $5.8 billion last year, driven largely by soaring international prices. Adam Mugume, the central bank’s executive director for research and economic analysis, said higher prices attracted new participants into the gold trade, significantly expanding export activity.
Global gold prices climbed more than 64% in 2025 as geopolitical tensions increased demand for the metal as a safe haven asset.
Uganda has increasingly positioned itself as a regional gold processing and trading hub, handling shipments from neighbouring countries including eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, despite producing relatively small volumes domestically.
The country last year inaugurated its first large scale gold mine, a $250 million Chinese owned project in eastern Uganda, marking a step toward expanding domestic production alongside its growing role in regional gold trade.
