The UGX 840 million building meant to serve Karamoja sub region will accommodate the regional surveyor, ecologists, and other staff from the directorate.
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The Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines offices in Moroto.
A regional office for the Directorate of Geological Survey has opened in Moroto district.
The UGX 840 million building meant to serve Karamoja sub region, will accommodate the regional surveyor, ecologists, and other staff from the directorate.
The office located at Natum-kasikou village in Rupa Sub County, will handle ecological research, application for mining licences, and provision of technical advice to mining institutions and supervision of mining activities in the region.
Agnes Alaba, the commissioner mines department says that the introduction of regional ecological survey and mines in Karamoja, will help reduce fraudulent licensing and unlawful mining and transportation of minerals.
Alaba noted that although there are numerous minerals in the region, government only manages to earn 8 million shillings a quarter in Karamoja.
Peter Lokeris, the State Minister for Minerals, asked the natives and local leaders to utilize the directorate to help improve the mining sector.
Jackson Angella, the vice chairperson Moroto district mineral watch platform challenged government on the construction of a weigh bridge in the region. He explains that the government depends on declarations of companies and investors to levy taxes on the tonnage of the minerals.
Although aerial survey has not been conducted in the region, Karamoja is said to boost a lot of mineral potential in the country with more than 50 different types of minerals. Currently, Moroto district supplies marble, limestone, gold and other precious stones across the country and the international market.
During a mining symposium in Moroto last year, the charge daffaires at the German Embassy, Petra Kochendorfer said that research suggests that over 40% of gold exported from Uganda comes from Karamoja sub region. She revealed that the gold estimates in 2008 alone earned Uganda 28 million USD for 1.2 tons produced while in 2016, the country received between USD 8-120 million from gold exports realized from tonnage ranging between 2 to 2.8.
