Sh700bn niobium deal puts Tanzania in US supply chain
The minister for Minerals Anthony Mavunde (left), Panda Hill Shareholders’ Representative Pierre Joubert (centre) and Panda Hill Tanzania Limited General Manager Dennis Cook, pose with signed Panda Hill Niobium project agreements after the signing ceremony in Mbeya. PHOTO | COURTESY
Mbeya. Tanzania has signed a $300 million (about Sh700 billion) agreement with Panda Hill Tanzania Limited, placing Mbeya at the centre of a new trade and industrialisation strategy aimed at positioning the country as a supplier of processed strategic metals to global markets, including the United States.
Officials say the project marks a shift from exporting raw minerals to producing value-added materials used in advanced manufacturing, a move viewed as important to Tanzania’s long-term economic transformation and export growth.
