President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has thrown his full support behind a groundbreaking iron ore processing project in Ntungamo District, signaling a new chapter in Uganda’s push for industrial transformation and local mineral value addition. The endorsement came during a high-level meeting at State Lodge Nakasero with executives from Terra Industrial Development Company led by Managing Director Mr. Kong Dong Sheng.
The company recently established a modern pig iron processing facility in Rwenanura, a development being celebrated as Uganda’s first factory capable of producing pig iron refined to an impressive purity level of 93 percent. The project is expected to significantly reduce the country’s dependence on exporting raw minerals while strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity.
During the discussions, President Museveni reaffirmed the government’s determination to stop the export of unprocessed minerals, insisting that Uganda must benefit fully from its natural resources through industrialization, job creation, and increased local revenues. He emphasized that investors willing to add value within the country would continue receiving government backing.
The President assured the investors that his administration is ready to support the factory’s expansion and operational needs. He stressed that Uganda’s long-term economic future depends on industries that process local resources into finished or semi-finished products rather than shipping raw materials abroad.
Executives from Terra Industrial Development Company, however, highlighted several infrastructure challenges slowing operations at the new plant. They pointed to the urgent need for a stable electricity supply capable of sustaining heavy industrial machinery and maintaining uninterrupted production at the facility.
