AfricaPress-Tanzania: COMPENSATION to over 1,600 residents living near North Mara Gold Mine has finally started with CRDB Bank taking its services to Nyamongo to facilitate the exercise.
The historic exercise, which will see villagers pocketing over 30bn/-, was launched in Nyamongo on Wednesday.
Minister for Minerals Dotto Biteko, Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment) Mussa Azzan Zugu and Deputy Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development Angeline Mabula witnessed the commencement of the much awaited exercise.
Mr Biteko said the beginning of the exercise was a clear demonstration that directives given by President John Magufuli when he visited Nyamongo had been worked on.
“Today is the day to work on what we said in the past. As you may recall on September 7, 2018 President Magufuli visited Nyamongo and instructed compensation and environmental pollution complaints to be dealt with immediately,” the minister said.
Since then, Mr Biteko said they had been working around the clock to implement President’s directives in collaboration with Mara Regional Commissioner Adam Malima.
Speaking on the same occasion, CRDB Bank Director of Retail Banking Boma Raballa thanked the government and Barrick management for allowing the bank to participate in facilitating the exercise.
He said they were well-prepared to provide better services that would meet customer expectations.
“Our presence today is enough evidence that we are well-prepared to meet customer expectations,” Mr Raballa insisted.
He noted that the bank planned to open a new branch in Nyamongo as soon as possible and was also investing in mobile banking.
“We have put in place a strategy that will ensure that we have a branch in Nyamongo in month’s time,” Mr Raballa said.
