Magufuli to award certificates to mineral concentrates probe committee members

Dar es Salaam. Today, October 23, Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli is slated to award certificates to members of the two Special Presidential Committees in recognition of their sterling work in probing the type, amount and value of minerals contained in mining tailings – especially gold concentrates – that are exported ostensibly for further refining in foreign lands.

One of the two probe committees was led by Prof. Abdulkarim Mruma, while the other was led by Prof. Nehemiah Osoro.

After the findings were formally presented to the government, President Magufuli set up a special team – headed by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof. Palamagamba Kabudi – to negotiate with a team of representatives from the Canada-based Barrick Gold Corporation in efforts to reach an amicable but just and fair solution to a raft of disagreements between the two parties in the mining business

A press statement issued today by Tanzania’s director of presidential communications, Mr. Gerson Msigwa, says that the brief certificates presentation ceremony would be broadcast live from State House in Dar es Salaam by local media organs, including radio, television and social media platforms, starting from 11.00AM.

“Tanzania and Barrick Gold Corporation agreed and signed a contract on October 19 this year on ways and means of implementing a new era (including) on how the company will be running its gold extraction  business in the country,” reads part of the statement.

According to the statement, Barrick Gold Corporation also agreed to pay $300 million (Sh700 billion) to the government as a sign of good will, in relation to the matter of compensation to Tanzania for losses incurred by the country in the Barrick-related gold business.