Dodoma: The Executive Secretary of the Mining Commission, Engineer Yahya Samamba has said, the Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines has continued to solve challenges in the mining sector by empowering small miners with education and credit to deliver electricity services to promote the national income and for them to continue to grow.
Engineer Samamba said this, yesterday at the Minerals Commission meeting held in Dodoma which involved the Chairman of the Minerals Commission, Professor Idris Kikula, Commissioners of the Commission, Directors and Managers of the Commission with the aim of receiving and discussing information on the implementation of the Commission’s duties for the period quarterly.
He has said that the Commission has continued to encourage financial institutions to lend to small-scale miners through meetings and forums held at different times and to provide education to small-scale miners about safe mining methods as well as infrastructure improvements, especially electricity, so that mining can be productive.
In another step, he said, the Commission has continued to conduct inspections on large and small mines and provide education on safe mining, resolve disputes on mining activities and attract investment in the Mining Sector through conferences and exhibitions held locally and abroad. .
He has asked the miners in the country to conduct their activities in accordance with the laws and regulations of mining.
Initially giving information on mineral licenses issued in the period from October to December, 2023, the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Professor Abdulkarim Mruma said the committee received new applications for 2,369 mineral licenses including 81 mining licenses, 18 licenses of medium mining and 2,080 small mining licenses, 13 mining licenses and 177 applications for mining business licenses where after analysis all applications were approved after meeting the criteria.
He added that during the second quarter of the fiscal year 2023/2024 (October to December, 2023) the Commission conducted an inspection of mines and the environment held in areas where mining activities are carried out especially in the areas of safety, health, environment and safe use of gunpowder in large, medium and small mines.
He went on to say that in the relevant period, inspections were carried out on 14,826 small mining mines and gunpowder storage warehouses in all 30 mining regions in the country.
Explaining about the mineral business in the relevant period, Professor Mruma said that through 42 mineral markets and 99 mineral purchasing centers, an amount of 4.52 tons of gold ore, 135.71 tons of tin ore, 1,811.49 carats of diamond ore, 8,260.54 carats and 8.27 tons of tanzanite ore with an amount of 28,104.58 carats and 21,732.91 tons of other gem minerals were sold in the mineral markets.
Professor Mruma has emphasized that the sale of these minerals contributed to collections (royalties and inspection fees) amounting to 47.48 billion shillings.
And the Commissioner of the Commission, Janet Lekashingo added that in the period from October to December, 2023 the committee for the participation of Tanzanians in the mining sector received 217 plans for the participation of Tanzanians in the mining sector where after being analyzed a total of 215 plans were approved after meet the criteria.
Explaining the committee’s strategies to increase the participation of Tanzanians in mining activities in the country, Lekashingo has explained that it includes providing education to companies that own mining licenses and service providers in mining mines, organizing various platforms and workshops regarding the implementation of the participation of Tanzanians in the sector of minerals in parallel with participating in various exhibitions related to mineral technology and providing education to participants.
