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Tuesday 18 August 2026

Kampala Bureau

ISSN 2960-4471

Vol. VI

Tuesday 18 August 2026Kampala Bureau · ISSN 2960-4471Vol. VI

Sofia Andrade

Latin America Mining Correspondent

Sofia is a Latin America mining correspondent covering permitting and community consultation, artisanal formalisation and finance, responsible sourcing audits and the illicit flows that distort trade data.

Articles by Sofia Andrade

01Responsible sourcing · 5 August 2026Responsible sourcing audits and the first buyerRefiner-level assurance has improved considerably. The gap has simply moved upstream to the point where metal is first purchased.
02ASGM · 3 August 2026Artisanal gold formalisation and working capitalLicensing schemes multiply while the financing that would make compliance survivable does not. The pattern repeats across three continents.
03Governance · 30 July 2026Permitting timelines and consultation qualityDevelopers complain about delay. The delays that actually stick are the ones caused by consultation that was skipped and has to be redone.
04Illicit flows · 29 July 2026Gold trade data still fails to reconcileMirror statistics between producing and importing states diverge by billions each year. The gap is a policy failure, not a rounding error.