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Tanzania, China Expand Mining Cooperation To Unlock New Mineral Wealth
By Iyojo Ameh
Tanzania and China have stepped up cooperation in the mining sector, agreeing to expand collaboration in geological exploration, technology transfer and skills development as the East African country seeks to unlock more value from its mineral resources.
The agreement followed bilateral discussions between Tanzania’s Minister of Minerals, Anthony Mavunde, and China’s Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and President of the China Geological Survey, Dr Xu Dachun, in Tianjin, China.
Under the new cooperation framework, China, through the China Geological Survey, will support the training and technical development of Tanzanian geologists in modern geological techniques and mineral exploration data analysis. The partnership will also receive Chinese grant support for a high resolution airborne geophysical survey of Tanzania’s Central Block, covering Dodoma, Tabora, Singida and Shinyanga.
Mavunde said the survey could help identify additional mineral deposits and attract fresh investment into the sector, stressing that President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration had placed mining at the centre of efforts to drive economic growth and increase the benefits Tanzanians derive from the country’s natural resources.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on advanced mining technologies and reforms to improve the efficiency and transparency of Tanzania’s mineral rights licensing system.
Xu described the partnership as strategically important and mutually beneficial, noting that Tanzania has substantial investment opportunities while China can provide technology, expertise and capital.
The expanded cooperation is expected to increase mineral exploration, raise mining productivity, strengthen Tanzania’s technical capacity and create more employment opportunities as the government works to increase mining’s contribution to the national economy.
