PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has announced measures to enforce value-addition requirements in the local mining sector.

Speaking at this year’s International Mining and Investment Conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, he said that while Tanzania is one of Africa’s top mineral producers, the country has not fully benefited from its resources.

Most value-addition activities are conducted abroad, and as a result, Tanzania misses out on broader benefits in the minerals value chain, including job opportunities and revenue generated if value addition is done locally, he explained.

"Recognizing the immense social and economic benefits of conducting value addition activities within the country, the government is creating enabling conditions," he said, affirming that this includes reviewing policies, laws, regulations, and guidelines to address challenges in this area.

The government's goal is to ensure that the mining sector significantly contributes to the national economy, aiming for a 10 percent contribution to GDP by the end of next year, he said, noting that the sector's growth has already increased from 7.3 percent in 2021 to 9.0 percent for fiscal 2023/2024.

Steps are being taken to ensure that large and small-scale mining investors operate efficiently, chiefly by improving investment conditions, enabling many to access advanced technology, he stated.

These efforts align with the government's commitment to enhancing infrastructure to facilitate investments, including expanding national electricity grid capacity and improving transportation networks like roads, railways, ports, and air transport, where the number of aircraft has vastly increased, he elaborated.

The government is also strengthening minerals markets in various regions and increasing trading capacity in major mining areas, with 44 regional markets and 103 minerals trading centers set up, he stated.

“Through these markets and centers, there has been significant progress in the collection of minerals,” he said, highlighting that during fiscal 2023/2024 minerals valued at 2.59trn/- were sold through these markets, enabling the government to collect 180bn/- in revenue.

The Minerals Ministry budget allocation has risen from 89bn/- in fiscal 2023/24 to 231.9bn/- in the latest estimates, intended to enhance services at the Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST) in conducting in-depth surveys to provide results capable of yielding immense benefits.