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= Alain Goetz = 525x525px| Alain Goetz is a Belgian business magnate, investor and philanthropist.

Background
Born in Deurne Antwerp Belgium on 24th April 1965, Alain Goetz is a son of Mr. Tony Goetz the founder of Tony Goetz NV a precious metal s refining and trading company in Belgium  . Alain Goetz is known for his work in the gold and precious metal refining, bullion trading and hospitality in several countries including Belgium, Burundi,Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Arab Emirates, Uganda and Rwanda.

Work and Investment
Alain oversaw the establishment of the African Gold Refinery (AGR) in 2014 as the first state of the art gold refinery in Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa with a production capacity of 1000kgs of high-finished gold kilo-bars per month that is internationally recognized as Ugandan products.

It was the first complaint and transparent initiative in Uganda’s gold sector where players were exporting raw gold. The state-of-the-art refining facility is located in Entebbe next to the Entebbe International Airport and was officially launched by President Yoweri Museveni in February 2017. AGR offers five majors standard quality services including smelting, assaying, refining, manufacturing and logistics. In 2016 AGR generated 1.8 billion Ugandan shillings in government revenue paid and major inward investment of over $23 million with over 85 employees.

The refinery attracted other refineries in the country which has made gold the second leading export commodity in Uganda after coffee. There is a concern by the African Gold Refinery that other refineries are exporting raw gold which is not at the international standards. On the U.N Security Council report S/2017/672/Rev.1, dated: 16th August 2017 it’s been quoted that: “The Group therefore believes that AGR could contribute to a cleaner gold trade in Uganda”.

Alain and the African Gold Refinery have been under heavy scrutiny on the source of the gold refined as it could be among the conflict minerals fueling conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo which is smuggled through Uganda and Rwanda. Goetz and the refinery however say that all processes of the company and its suppliers are in accordance with Ugandan and regional laws through their know your customer(KYC) policies.

In November 2018 Alain Goetz stepped down as founding CEO, a position he had held since 2014 to focus on charitable work and consulting.

Alain has been invited to participate and present at several strategic international forums and conferences on mining and precious metals:


 * 7th Annual    Mineral Wealth Conference (Kampala, Uganda – October 2018)
 * 6th Annual Mineral Wealth    Conference (Kampala, Uganda – October 2017)
 * The 2nd edition of Global Gold Dore Forum    (Dubai – United Arab Emirates January 2018)
 * 11th OECD Forum on Responsible    Supply Chain (Paris, France – May 2017)
 * LBMA Responsible Gold Forum    2013 (Paris, France – May 2013)
 * The LBMA/LPPM Precious Metals Conference (Rome, Italy – October 2013)http://www.lbma.org.uk/assets/Final%20Delegate%20List%2020131008.pdf

Alain Goetz started the Al Asr Al Dahabi Restaurant in February 2020 serving Turkish, Moroccan, and Lebanese cuisines with a modern twist having a sitting capacity of over 750 located at Al Mamzar, Dubai - United Arab Emirates.

Philanthropy
Since 2014 Goetz has been supporting the Entebbe Children's Welfare Primary School founded in 1985 that specializes in teaching and caring for children with special needs. In July 2019 a new classroom block was launched by the First Lady of Uganda / Minister of Education and Sports Honorable Janet Museveni . The building was fully financed and constructed by the African Gold Refinery with commitment from Alain Goetz who oversaw the project until December 2018 as the CEO to improve the schools capacity. Alain Goetz has pledged to continue to support the School in any way he can.

The tourism industry in Uganda is one of the key sectors earmarked for Uganda’s economic transformation. However, with COVID-19 Pandemic, special tourist sites such as Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary , located 27 km southeast of Entebbe on Lake Victoria has been greatly impacted due to the sharp decline in tourist numbers drastically affecting the sanctuary’s revenues. Alain Goetz intervened to help this primates habitat one of its kind in Africa by providing foodstuff for the animals until the economic conditions stabilize. The Chairman of the Uganda Tourism Board Daudi Migereko said that tourism industry was among the most highly affected sectors in Uganda during the COVID-19 Lockdown .I

During his time as CEO the African Gold Refinery partnered with the Entebbe Municipal Councilto organize the annual Entebbe Marathon. The Marathon is a local charity sporting event that attracts residents, school children, companies, leaders, professional local and international runners to participate in 10km, 25km and 42km running competition in Entebbe Municipality held every other weekend of February. AGR has co-sponsored the event with other companies since 2017. The marathon was rebranded to the Sinocham Entebbe Marathon in preparation for the Wuhan Marathon after a partnership with the city in China. The sponsorship package was aimed towards preparatory activities of the event including sports kits, prizes for the winners and logistical requirements for the event.

The 2019 Marathon winners of the 10km, 21km and 42km races guaranteed themselves an all-expenses trip to Wuhan to participate in the city’s marathon where more prizes awaited winners. The proceeds from this charity event last year went towards the unprivileged children and their single mothers through the Modesta Foundation.