In this issue

Welcome to the latest issue of MINE Magazine.

This month, we profile one of the largest and most exciting mineral deposits to come to light in recent years, the discovery of around 31 million tonnes of gold in Uganda, with an approximate value of $13tn. 

The find has been greeted with equal parts excitement and trepidation, with the discovery representing a massive potential financial windfall for Uganda, but concerns about who, if anyone, will truly benefit from the deposit.

With a production licence already granted to the Wagagai Gold Mining Company, a mining firm based in China, there is growing concern that the tonnes of gold could go to line the pockets of foreign investors, rather than the Ugandans who will expect to work at the facility.

Elsewhere, we consider some of the human impacts of recent events in the global mining industry. From the ongoing fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to a string of local communities left behind by large-scale mining operations that have pursued financial gain at the cost of all else, humans and communities are often the first casualties of a sector that draws motivation from production and profit. 

We also investigate a collaboration between telecoms giants Huawei and MTN, and mining firm Zijin, to build the world’s first 5G-powered mine, and look into legislation covering deep-sea mining, to ask how conflicting interests and agendas will be resolved in the long-term. 

For all this and more, read on.

JP Casey, editor