February 2020, Uganda signed an agreement with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), to adopt the certification mechanism and audit of minerals termed as ‘blood’ or ‘conflict’ minerals.

The term “conflict minerals” and “blood minerals” refer to minerals that contribute to armed conflict, risks, child labour, corruption, violence and human rights abuses in the region.

 The certification is the response to illicit flow of minerals from war and conflict raven regions and is aimed at offering incentives to encourage gold miners and other players in the extractives to channel their product through responsible exporters who will ultimately ensure they get fair and transparent prices and technical assistance in return for legal sales.

This is aimed at protecting the industry that is susceptible to corruption and violence since gold mined by artisans is often a conduit through which armed groups are financed. This inevitably leads to the exploitation of mining communities and loss of revenue for the government when gold is smuggled. This is a great move aimed at promoting transparency and accountability that will inspire other countries in the great lakes region to implement such certification mechanisms and adopting responsible legal and policy regimes in the extractive sector.