Uganda’s gold refining sector
Uganda’s first gold refinery opened in Entebbe in February 2017, with an initial capacity of about 300 kg of gold a week, The EastAfrican reported. Euro Gold Refinery received its refinery licence in June 2024 and opened in Kampala in July 2025, described at its launch as Uganda’s third licensed gold refinery (Pulse Uganda, July 2025).
In April 2026 Euro Gold Refinery was contracted to receive, refine and certify gold bought by the Bank of Uganda under its domestic gold purchase programme. The central bank plans to buy 7 to 10 tonnes of locally mined gold a year from artisanal miners, small-scale miners and licensed dealers, with an initial target of at least 100 kg between March and June 2026 (Pulse Uganda, April 2026).
How refining is regulated
Mining, mineral dealing and refining in Uganda are licensed under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022, administered by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. A refinery operates under a refinery licence; dealers who supply it need mineral dealer’s licences; miners need mining licences appropriate to their scale. Companies are registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).
If you are selling gold to a Ugandan refinery
- Confirm the refinery’s licence with the Ministry, and the company with URSB.
- Agree how the gold will be assayed — the method, the laboratory and whether you may witness the melt and keep a split of the sample.
- Have your own test record before delivery: weights, seals and readings from an independent tester, so a difference in results can be resolved.
- Check the payment terms — when the price is fixed, on what assay, and into which account.
If you are buying refined gold from Uganda
- Check the refinery’s licence and ownership, and screen it and its owners against sanctions lists and adverse media.
- Check whether the bars are accepted where you will sell them. The LBMA Good Delivery List is public; most international banks and vaults will only take bars from refiners on it. A bar from a refiner not on the list may still be good gold, but it will usually need to be re-assayed or re-refined before it can be sold in London.
- Confirm the assay certificate with the refinery and, for a large lot, have an independent check assay done on drillings from the bars.
- Confirm the export permit for the consignment with the Ministry.
If you run a refinery: supplier due diligence
A refinery’s biggest exposure is the gold it accepts. International customers, banks and the central bank programme all expect a refinery to know where its gold comes from. The OECD Due Diligence Guidance — and, for refiners selling to the London market, the LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance — set the framework: identify each supplier, assess the risk of its supply chain, act on what is found, and report.
Independent work helps at two points: checking suppliers (dealers and miners: company, licence, mine site, screening) and testing incoming lots at collection before they are accepted. Both are services we provide in Uganda.
What a refinery’s certificate should show
A refinery assay certificate or bar list should identify each bar and be traceable to the refinery’s own records. At a minimum, look for:
- The refinery’s registered name and address, and the certificate number and date
- Each bar’s serial number, gross weight and fineness, and the fine gold content
- The assay method used, and the name of the assayer or laboratory
- The customer the certificate was issued to
Then confirm the certificate with the refinery directly, using contact details you find yourself, and check the serial numbers stamped on the bars against the list. See how to verify gold deal documents.
Questions to put to a refinery before you deliver or buy
- Can you show your current refinery licence and company registration?
- Which assay method do you use, and may I witness the melt and keep a split of the sample?
- Which laboratory settles a difference between your assay and mine?
- How long between delivery, assay and payment, and how is the price fixed?
- What due diligence do you carry out on the gold you accept, and can you share your policy?
- Who are the owners of the refinery?
A refinery that answers these clearly and in writing is easier to work with whichever way the assay comes out.
Exporting refined gold from Uganda
Refined gold leaving Uganda needs an export permit for the consignment from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, and travels with the refinery’s certificate, a packing list, insurance and an air waybill. Each document is confirmed with its issuer. For gold that was mined outside Uganda and refined there, the origin and import papers from the source country form part of the file, and buyers applying the OECD Guidance will ask for them.
How gold is tested on its way into a refinery
| Stage | Test | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Collection | XRF, density, weighing, sealing | Screen the lot and fix its weight before it moves |
| Receipt | Weight check against seals | Confirm it is the same lot |
| Melt | Weights before and after; sample from the melt | A representative sample of the whole lot |
| Assay | Fire assay at an accredited laboratory | The figure the price is set on |
| Check assay | Split sample to a second laboratory | Resolve any difference between parties |
See gold testing methods compared and gold smelting and melt sampling.
How we work with refineries and their customers
Our testers work in Kampala and Entebbe and travel to Mubende, Busia, Buhweju and the Karamoja districts. For refineries we test incoming lots, witness melts, run check assays and verify suppliers. For buyers and sellers we check the refinery and the gold. See gold testing in Uganda or request a test.