Ras Al Khaimah and Uganda Deepen Minerals Partnership with New Supply Chain Framework
For Immediate Release
RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE — Ras Al Khaimah and Uganda have deepened their bilateral minerals partnership with the signing of a new supply chain framework agreement, establishing dedicated channels for Ugandan gold operators to access RAKEZ's growing precious metals ecosystem and providing a formal basis for RAK-based entities to participate in Uganda's expanding gold sector.
The framework agreement, signed during a visit to Ras Al Khaimah by Uganda's Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, builds on the broader UAE-Uganda minerals cooperation established through the bilateral framework signed in September 2025. It translates that overarching government-to-government commitment into specific commercial and operational arrangements that serve the day-to-day needs of operators on both sides of the RAK-Uganda gold corridor.
Uganda is one of the most significant gold-producing nations in East Africa, with annual exports of over USD 2 billion and a rapidly formalising artisanal sector supported by the government's Community Mining Zones programme. Ras Al Khaimah, as a growing UAE precious metals hub with a developing ecosystem of buyers, refiners, and support service providers, is a natural commercial destination for Uganda's expanding formal gold sector output.
The supply chain framework includes provisions for documentation alignment between Uganda's Minerals Regulatory Authority chain of custody standards and RAKEZ's compliance requirements, creating a frictionless pathway for Ugandan-origin gold to meet RAKEZ buyers' due diligence requirements without additional documentation processing in the UAE.
"Uganda has built impressive supply chain governance infrastructure over the past several years, and the RAK-Uganda supply chain framework ensures that this governance investment translates into streamlined market access at the RAK end. The documentation alignment provisions are the most practically valuable element — they remove the friction that has historically slowed the processing of African-origin gold through Gulf market compliance systems." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
Icon Gold's operations in Uganda position it centrally within the supply chain the RAK-Uganda framework is designed to serve. The company has engaged positively with the framework's development and expects the documentation alignment provisions to benefit its cross-border operations between Uganda and the UAE.
The framework also includes a trade facilitation fund, jointly capitalised by RAKEZ and the Uganda Miners Association, to provide short-term working capital support for Ugandan gold operators managing the cash flow requirements of export transactions to RAK-based buyers.
"Working capital is a persistent practical constraint for artisanal and small-scale gold sector operators in Uganda. The trade facilitation fund addresses this constraint directly, enabling operators to bridge the gap between the cost of assembling and documenting a consignment and the receipt of payment from the UAE buyer. Practical interventions like this are what transform trade framework agreements from aspirational documents into commercially functioning supply chains." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The first commercial shipments under the RAK-Uganda framework are expected in the first quarter of 2026, with RAKEZ and the Uganda Minerals Regulatory Authority jointly monitoring the framework's implementation and addressing any practical issues that emerge through the working group established under the agreement.
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