Beijing forum to clear the air on mining policy

Dar es Salaam. The government is seeking to use an investor forum pencilled for December 10 in Beijing to the clear the air on the country’s mining policies.

A total of 80 participants have been lined up for the Tanzania and China Mining Investment Forum that also aims at attracting and building partnership in the extractive sector.

Organised by the ministry of Mineral and the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), the forum will include players from both the public and private sectors.

The participants are drawn from Tanzania and China.

Minerals minister Angellah Kairuki said the forum would include 44 companies from Tanzania, six government institutions that are involved in providing services to investors in the mining sector, two mining sector partis and also 33 companies from china that are involved in mining business and investment.

“The forum will be a good platform for us as a country to attract investors interested in contributing to the mining sector, and also a way for companies to create partnership and open ways for experts to come and explore and conduct research in the country,” said Ms Kairuki.

The minister also noted that the forum would provide an opportunity to for investors to get a clear understanding of different laws, policies, regulations and guidelines that are required for investing and carrying out mining business in the country.

“This will play an important role in promoting Tanzania as one of the major areas with a lot of opportunities in the mining sector,” she said. TIC executive director Geoffrey Mwambe said efforts to attract investors would only be successful when all barriers are removed. “It’s confusing for investors when they come and are faced with various barriers from other departments,” he said.