Gold Is Just Like Any Other Mineral Got From the Ground

Wani Keri

23 November 2011

When the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State during the recent first governors’ forum which took place in Juba said that he did not know to whom the responsibility of gold currently being dug by individuals in his state lies he surprised many people especially those economic conscious citizens. To quote New Times in its 21-27 November, 2011 page 2, it said Governor Louis Lobong Lojore said the loss is due to lack of a proper guiding principle as to whom between the state and the central government has the power to exploit the gold.

The New Times tabloid further quoted the governor as saying, “To be honest, most of the gold or even ore that is being mined in Kapoeta all goes to Eastern Africa.” “Now, if you go, you find Somalis in the bush are mining it. We are not benefitting anything out from it.” In fact Eastern Equatoria and its neighbouring states of Central Equatoria and Jonglei States said to be having deposits of alluvial gold in their river beds and elsewhere are lucky.

This mineral will make the states to carry out the development programmes they have faster because they will have extra amount of money from their shares from gold sale in international market. The gold of Eastern Equatoria State began to draw attention of the nation after the Addis Ababa agreement of 1972 when citizens from many parts of former Sudan in general and Southern Region in particular flocked to Kapoeta where gold was in abundance in riverbed not far from the town. They obtained licenses from the former regional ministry of mining in Juba before they embarked on gold exploitation.

The Kapoeta gold was famous in the business circle and the northern traders who monopolized trade at the time took much of it to Khartoum. Now that South Sudan is independent, Eastern Equatoria State which has a ministry for mineral resources has to work in collaboration with the national Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in Juba and strike a deal on how they can share responsibilities and dividends on gold. Like in petroleum, the national ministry is in charge but the state in which the mineral occurs is given 2% of the monthly revenue accruing from the sales of oil. The same could apply to gold if not the 2 per cent given to oil producing states but at least there will be something.

However the government should work out how the mineral can be got to the surface, its handling and export. Normally the citizens, not foreigners are allowed to hunt for gold and they are only to sell the crude to the government or a body authorized by it. So allowing foreigners like the Somalis to dig the Kapoeta gold and take it outside this country to enrich themselves while not contributing to its development should be stopped forthwith. While no programme is put in place for organized gold digging and handling, the state ministry of mineral resources in Eastern Equatoria, and the National Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in Juba should send a team of fact finding to the gold exploitation sites and come up with a temporary plan of handling our gold. The citizens who have been digging the gold for years should in the meantime be allowed to continue with their work but to sell their finds to the government or a body to handle the mineral on its behalf. Ordinary citizens hunting for gold is experienced in many countries of the world. There was the famous rush of the early Americans to the western of USA where gold was in existence.

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In the neighbouring Congo gold minefields, in Sierra Leone diamond fields and other African nations some of the minerals are exploited by the willing citizens but they are made to sell their finds to the government or a body assigned by it. It is only in large scale gold mining like that in South Africa where companies and other corporate bodies are involved in extraction. South Sudan can benefit a great deal when gold mining well planned and coordinated by government bodies. It should not wait for there will be benefit to the whole nation.

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