The Tanzanian government, through the Ministry of Minerals, has issued default notices to 95 large and medium-sized mining companies, threatening to revoke their licences due to prolonged inactivity. These companies, with an estimated capital of TZS 15 trillion (around USD 5.6 billion), have until 13 May 2025 to justify why their licences should not be cancelled, announced the Minister of Minerals, Anthony Mavunde.
The notices arise from the failure of these companies to comply with the obligation to commence mining operations within 18 months of signing their contracts, a requirement stipulated by Tanzanian mining law. Minister Mavunde pointed out that this inactivity has deprived regions such as Nyasa and Handeni, as well as the nation as a whole, of important economic benefits, including job creation and income generation. "Only seven of these 95 companies have shown any progress, yet they control immense resources that could transform our economy," said Mavunde at a press conference in Dodoma.
The Ministry's action is part of a wider effort to ensure regulatory compliance and maximise the mining sector's contribution to Tanzania's GDP, which reached 9.0% in 2023 with a growth rate of 11.3%, according to Deputy Permanent Secretary Msafiri Mbibo. The government has taken proactive steps to reform the sector, with recent initiatives including the launch of the country's first explosives manufacturing plant and the 'Mining for Better Tomorrow' programme aimed at empowering young people as part of Tanzania's Vision 2030.
Posts on social networks, particularly X, reflect the public and industry attention to this issue, with some users noting that between July 2024 and March 2025, Tanzania issued 8,501 mining licences while revoking 14 for non-compliance. This current ultimatum underlines the government's commitment to ensuring that the mining sector delivers tangible benefits to its citizens.
The companies concerned now have a critical seven-day window in which to provide satisfactory explanations or risk losing their licences, a decision that could open up opportunities for new investors in Tanzania's resource-rich mining industry.