• Uganda and Kenya launched the $500 million Devki Mega Steel plant, expected to produce 1 million tonnes of steel per year and create up to 20,000 jobs by 2027.
• Uganda holds 500 million tonnes of iron ore deposits but loses about $5 billion annually to steel imports.
• The project supports Museveni’s policy of banning unprocessed mineral exports to drive local value addition and reduce the region’s trade deficit.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Kenya’s President William Ruto launched construction works for the Devki Mega Steel plant on 23 November 2025. The $500 million facility is located in Tororo, in eastern Uganda, near the Kenyan border. Authorities expect the project to become a major driver of regional industrialisation.

The new facility will generate 15,000 jobs at start-up and 20,000 jobs by 2027, including workers from across the East African region. Kenyan conglomerate Devki Group is building the plant, while Kenyan industrialist Narendra Raval is financing it. The plant will produce 1 million tonnes of steel products annually, positioning Uganda as a potential net exporter.

Museveni and Ruto praised the project as a catalyst for industrial self-reliance and a tool to strengthen regional value chains. Museveni said the initiative will help end the longstanding practice of exporting Africa’s minerals and jobs.

“Once fully operational, we will take a step toward reversing the waste of African resources, whether human, mineral, jobs or foreign exchange,” he said.

Ruto stressed that the plant will create youth employment, support regional supply chains and advance East Africa’s push for industrial self-sufficiency.

Museveni has banned the export of unprocessed minerals to boost local job creation and value addition. Under its third National Development Plan (NDP III), Uganda aims to create 2.5 million jobs to counter rising unemployment.

Uganda, through the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), has also developed several industrial parks to attract manufacturers in steel, cement, agribusiness, electronics and automotive industries. The UIA provides licensing support, government coordination, investor problem-solving, diversification assistance and trade linkages to draw more investors.

The UIA says Uganda possesses 500 million tonnes of iron ore reserves in the east and southwest, alongside copper, rare earths and graphite. However, the country loses about $5 billion per year due to dependence on imported steel products.

Officials expect the Devki Mega Steel project to cut this dependence, transform Uganda into a net steel exporter and help reduce the region’s trade deficit.

This article was initially published in French by Lydie Mobio

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum