Mining: Tanzania ready to help Kenya

 

The Director of Stamico, Venance Mwase. PHOTO | COURTESY

By Rosemary Mirondo

Reporter

Mwananchi Communications Ltd

Summary

·         The promise was made during a meeting that brought together Stamico and six delegates from Kenya’s mining sector, who were on a three-day study tour of Tanzania last week

Dar es Salaam. The State Mining Corporation (Stamico) said at the weekend that it was willing to cooperate with mineral experts from Kenya with a view to uplifting the standards through which the two nations can manage their mining sectors effectively to stimulate their economic growth.

This came up during a meeting that brought together six delegates involved in the mining sector from Kenya who came to the country for three days to learn how to run the mining sector.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, the Director of Stamico, Venance Mwase, said what is found in Tanzania can be found in Kenya because geology and minerals have no boundaries.

 “We are ready to cooperate with them in a number of ways, including prospecting for minerals and how the resources can benefit their people,” he said. He said apart from receiving initial steps on mineral exploration, the team would also visit mining sites in Tanzania.

“They have seen that Tanzania has done well in this area and they have come to learn and since yesterday we have explained to them how the government benefits from the 16 percent shares it now holds in the mines,” he said.

This is happening at a time when Tanzania wants to put more energy into the production of strategic minerals including copper to stimulate economic growth as they are mentioned to be looked at by various countries and investors.

The desirability of these minerals was expressed on April 17, 2023, by President Samia Suluhu Hassan when she was an official guest at the signing of agreements between the government and three mining companies from Perth in Australia and England, an event held at the State House in Chamwino, Dodoma.

She said the presence of global strategic minerals in the country, including Kinywe type, makes investors from big countries want to come and invest in the sector.

President Hassan said that even during the visit of the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Haris, they talked about kinywe ore, the Nikel project, and the mineral refining plant expected to be built in Kahama.

“These minerals are promoting the name of Tanzania in the world and even the most powerful countries in the world are looking at Tanzania, in the future our country will be a hub in the export of these minerals so it will stimulate investment,” said Samia.

Speaking about the training they received, Elijah Mwangi who is the Principal Secretary State Department for Mining in Kenya said that due to learning how minerals can change people’s lives, they have planned to make reforms in the sector.