A gold-mining site in Faka, Ngauro area, Eastern Equatoria State | Credit | Jale Richard/Eye Radio

South Sudan Ministry of Mining has signed a lucrative contract with Qatar’s Unite Gold Factory Company to build a gold refinery in the country.

It is the second foreign company to sign a gold refinery deal with Juba after an Egyptian firm inked a similar deal with the government last year.

Pitia Kujjo, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Mining Cosmas said the Memorandum of Understanding is aimed at developing the infrastructure of the gold industry.

“In terms of infrastructure, we don’t have any infrastructure. They will do that in terms of refinery and organize our gold dealers so that we are going to have the marketing that we initiated a long time ago,” Kujjo said.

“We were not able to do, and we hope that we can cooperate in order achieve all the goals that singed in MOU.”

Unite Gold Factory Company’s country coordinator, Moses Thon Manyuon, said they will open a center for gold marketing.

“Our main mission in South Sudan is to support the local mines to enhance their capacity in gold and for the gold dealer to have the market we are here to buy gold,” Thon said.

In March 2023 an Egyptian Company, called BTC Global, launched the first and only gold refinery in South Sudan to buy and sell raw gold.

The company would also mine, refine and export gold extraction and had plans to open a center in partnership with the government.

Vice President in charge of infrastructure clusters Taban Deng Gai said the main challenge the refinery will face includes dealing with cartels in the gold mining areas.

In December 2021, President Kiir tasked new Mining Minister, Martin Gama Abucha to address the illegal mining in the country.

Kiir said the country has not been able to gain from its vast mineral resources due to lack of technology and illicit trafficking.

Speaking at the 7th Governors Forum in Juba, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar said excessive mining activities are taking place across the country.

Machar disclosed that there are 93 licenses have been issued to exploration companies and 19 small-scale companies.