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Where we work
Our members mine gold in districts of Uganda and territories of eastern DRC. Each area has a focal point who knows the miners and the site.
Why we do not show exact locations
To protect members from theft, extortion and illegal taxation, we name only the district or territory. We never publish pit locations, coordinates, routes or the amount of gold produced at a site.
Uganda Districts
- MubendeAlluvial
- KassandaHard rock
- BusiaAlluvial
- NamayingoHard rock
Country office: Plot 12, Main Street, Mubende
DR Congo Territories
- Mambasa, IturiAlluvial
- Djugu, IturiHard rock
- Fizi, South KivuAlluvial
Country office: Avenue de la Paix 7, Bunia, Ituri
How our members mine
Most members work in small teams using hand tools. Two types of mining are common in our areas:
Alluvial
Gold is washed from river gravel and old riverbeds using pans and sluices. The work is shallow, but flooding and collapsing banks are real risks.
Hard rock
Ore is dug from shafts and tunnels, then crushed and washed. This is where most serious accidents happen, so it is where we focus our safety training.
Working legally in each country
In Uganda, members are supported to hold the licences required under the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, issued through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
In DRC, members work only in designated artisanal mining zones (ZEA), through registered cooperatives, with the national artisanal mining support service (SAEMAPE) and the mining authorities, under the Mining Code as revised in 2018.
Gold stays in its own legal channel. Gold mined in Uganda is sold through Ugandan legal channels, and gold mined in DRC through Congolese ones. The association does not move, carry or trade gold across the border, and members who do so lose their membership.