Uganda courts mining investors at Australia conference
“We want to move from relationships and conversations to tangible outcomes that create investment, jobs and value for Uganda,” Hyuha said.
A multi-sector Ugandan delegation comprising diplomats, parliamentarians and private-sector representatives is attending the 24th Africa Down Under Conference in Perth, Australia. (Courtesy photo)
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Uganda has sent a delegation to Australia to attend a high-level mining conference as the Government moves to turn growing international interest in critical minerals into actual mining investments.
A multi-sector Ugandan delegation comprising diplomats, parliamentarians and private-sector representatives is attending the 24th Africa Down Under Conference in Perth, Australia, to promote the country's mineral potential and engage investors.
At the event, Uganda is competing for investment with established mineral-producing countries, including Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda’s delegation is being led by Uganda's High Commissioner to Australia, Samali Dorothy Hyuha.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Hyuha described the event as a strategic platform where diplomacy, investment and the mining industry intersect.
She said Uganda’s longstanding relations with the Australian Federal Government, the Western Australian Government, mining companies and the wider diplomatic community provide a strong foundation for deeper economic cooperation.
According to the high commissioner, Uganda’s priority at the event is to turn the engagements into concrete investment opportunities, particularly in technology transfer, skills development, mineral processing and greater private-sector participation.
She said Uganda’s investment proposition goes beyond the country’s mineral deposits, pointing to its strategic position within the growing East African region.
Humphrey Asiimwe of the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum said possessing mineral resources was no longer sufficient to attract major international investors.
“The next phase of Uganda's mining journey must focus on developing projects capable of attracting serious international investment,” Asiimwe said.
He said investors require reliable geological data, clear licensing procedures, transparent operating costs and comprehensive feasibility studies before committing capital.
Regulatory certainty
Asiimwe also highlighted regulatory predictability as critical to attracting long-term mining investments.
He said the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, provides a framework through which Uganda can protect interests such as local content, community benefit-sharing and downstream processing while creating an environment conducive to investment.
Opondo further called for African countries to rethink how they market their mineral resources to international investors.
Instead of countries competing individually for investment, he proposed a regional approach in which African states promote integrated mineral value chains.
He urged the continent to move from the message of “Invest in my country” to “Invest in our regional value chain.”
The conference was officially opened on September 1, 2026, by Australia’s assistant minister for foreign affairs & trade and assistant minister for immigration, Matt Thistlethwaite.
Uganda possesses significant mineral potential, from gold, copper and cobalt to iron ore, graphite, lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals worth trillions of shillings.
The conference provides a platform where diplomacy, investment and the mining industry converge.
Ahead of the event, Uganda’s High Commissioner in Australia hosted a working lunch attended by more than 150 diplomats, financiers and mining executives as Uganda sought to deepen investment discussions.