Africa-Press – Tanzania. TOTAL revenues collected by the Mining Commission during the first quarter of fiscal 2025/26 reached 315.4bn/-, equivalent to 105.14 percent of the targeted 299.98bn/-, while the ministry’s overall target for the financial year stands at 1.4trn/-.
Yahya Samamba, the Minerals permanent secretary, made this observation at s management meeting last week in the capital, attributing the strong performance to improved monitoring, enhanced transparency in minerals trading and better compliance among operators in the sector.
The sector recorded an impressive performance with institutions under the ministry surpassing key targets in revenue collection, minerals processing and research initiatives, signalling rapid growth in the fast expanding industrial activity.
The ministry’s top leadership met with agency heads to review achievements and assess implementation of planned activities for the first quarter, with focus trained on the Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST), the State Mining Corporation (STAMICO), the Mining Commission, the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TEITI) and the Tanzania Gemmological Centre (TGC).
STAMICO outlined major strides in expanding production of Rafiki Briquettes, an eco-friendly form of coal-based charcoal that provides a sustainable alternative to wood fuel and charcoal, with new briquette production plants set to be installed soon in Dodoma and Tabora.
The facilities will complement operational units in Kisarawe (Coast Region), Dar es Salaam and Kiwira (Songwe Region), the agency noted.
Dr Venance Mwase, its managing director, pointed at plans for licensing the development of strategic minerals and the formation of partnerships in various regions.
The Mwanza Precious Metals Refinery, where STAMICO holds shares, refined a total of 2,356.413 kilograms of gold during the first quarter, for delivery to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) as part of the government’s initiative to boost national gold reserves.
BoT began purchasing gold in October 2024, with the refinery delivering a cumulative total of 12 tonnes of gold, significantly enhancing Tanzania’s strategic reserves and supporting financial stability, he said.
The GST report confirmed that procurement procedures for a research helicopter are ongoing, meant for detailed geological surveys across the country to ensure that by 2030, at least 50 percent of Tanzania’s land area will have been covered by comprehensive mapping of mineral resources.
It also reported ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art national minerals testing laboratory in the capital, reducing dependence on foreign laboratories and improving efficiency and reliability of minerals testing locally.
In its report, TGC discerned progress in its commercial operations, after opening a new retail outlet for jewellery and gemstone products at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), its second outlet after the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) also in the northern zone.
The collective progress made by minerals sector institutions provide evidence of the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthen the sector and ensure it intensely contributes to industrial and economic transformation being pursued at present, the ministerial chieftain added.
For More News And Analysis About Tanzania Follow Africa-Press
