Africa-Press. The Bank of Uganda announced that gold exports rose by 75.8% last year compared to the previous year, driven by rising global prices, attracting new investors and traders to the sector.
Adam Mugomi, Executive Director of the Economic Research and Analysis Department at the Bank, said that the value of gold exports reached $5.8 billion in 2025, up from $3.3 billion in 2024, noting that the jump was partly due to record-high global prices for the precious metal.
With this performance, gold has surpassed coffee to become Uganda’s largest export and top source of foreign currency, marking a significant shift in the country’s economic structure, which had relied on coffee for decades.
Although Uganda produces limited quantities of gold, it has recently become a regional hub for processing and trading gold from neighboring countries, particularly eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
Reflecting growing interest in the sector, Uganda inaugurated last year its first large-scale gold mine in the eastern part of the country, with a Chinese investment of around $250 million, which could boost domestic production in the future.
Global gold prices rose by more than 64% in 2025, amid rising geopolitical tensions that increased demand for the metal as a safe haven. According to the Ugandan official, the attractive prices encouraged new market entrants, contributing to export growth, though exact quantities were not disclosed.
