Tanzania ‘faring well’ in mineral utilisation

Dar es Salaam.  Tanzania is doing reasonably well in issues pertaining to utilising its mineral sector for the country’s development, a new analysis has shown.
 A gap analysis on the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) principles puts Tanzania on a medium slot. This indicates that the country is somehow on track towards domesticating the AMV.
The AMV is a pathway, formulated by African nations, that puts the continent’s long term and broad development objectives at the heart of all policy making concerned with mineral extraction. It sets out how mining can be used to drive Africa’s development.
In 2009, African countries under the African Union, agreed to domesticate the AMV principles.
Presenting a “Gap Analysis of AMV in Tanzania” late last week, a consultant from Uongozi Institute, Dr Josephat Kweka, showed how policy, regulations and the 2017 amendments to the Mining Act have brought fresh hope in the implementation of the AMV.
The report analyses different areas including service levy provision to Local government Authorities and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation in mining activities.
However, Resident Representative of UNDP-Tanzania Natalie Boucly said despite the achievements made through key reforms,  both institutional and financial challenges still prevail.
According to the Policy Research for Development (Repoa) executive director, Dr Donald Mmari, the direction was good, but the remaining challenge was to build the capacity for local participation in the value chain from extracting, processing and marketing.
An economic analyst from Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI), Mr Thomas Scurfield, said investing in current development projects like improving infrastructure and education may pay off in the near future. The minister for Minerals, Mr Dotto Biteko, said the study has provided important feedback to the government as far as domestication of the AMV and input into the development of the country’s extractive sector’s vision are concerned.
About 70 leaders and experts from the public and private sector, academia and civil society in Tanzania, Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Lesotho participated in the forum in Dar es Salaam.
The Uongozi Institute chief executive officer, Prof Joseph Semboja, said the forum will propose the roadmap and strategy for formulating the country’s mining vision.