The government is targeting Australia as potential partner to provide highly reputable exploration and value addition companies towards developing the vision of making Tanzania as the mining hub in Africa.

This was said yesterday by the deputy minister of minerals Dr Stephen Kiruswa during the Tanzania-Australia mining breakfast and panel discussion, held yesterday on the sideline of the Tanzania Mining investment conference.

“We have invested some effort in short term vision that we have tried to recommend, Vision 2030 where we see the backbone of the success of our ministry is rested on exploration,” he said. 

“And we when we consider the highly reputable exploration companies and countries that have the capital, they have the technology, they have the skills, Australia comes from the truth of the list.” 

According to the deputy minister, Tanzania sees Australia as one of the potential partners for opening up exploration and discovering more resources in the mineral sector.

The deputy minister said the government wishes to see Australia government take some of young men, and women for long term training in adoption of modern day magnetic glories. 

“We wish to see the partnership in capacity building in that area of ongoing on the job. But also we wish to see exchanges. We wish to see Australia to bring people to work with us on an exchange programme, so we can get experience by having apprenticeship experience,” he said.

“We see that the way through which our partnership is grown and be strong, and above all, when exploration is done, we still look forward to going to the second level of our development.”

He said Bring up the resource that can be processed very widely in the country to the best level that can be done practically. 

“We want to see the mineral based industries developed in the country so we can study individual products to the world and strategically positioned to be able to shift anything by water, by air, because we are also available,” he said.

The deputy minister also called for enhances partnership with local companies to promote local content.

Scott Morriss, Trade Commissioner- Africa, Australian High Commission said the country is ready to assist Tanzania continue to grow its mining industry to be safer, more efficient and more profitable.

He said mining contracts signed in Tanzania in the past two years with Australian mining companies are valued at over 10trn/- (US$3.6 billion). 

According to Austrade’s research in 2024, 12 Australian companies set aside just over US$26 million for exploration in Tanzania - a practical demonstration of Australia’s confidence in and commitment to the future of mining in Tanzania.

“As another sign of growing confidence and shared interest I understand that Tanzania’s Commissioner for Minerals Dr Abdul Mwanga is currently in Australia undertaking further mining related studies at one of our universities under the Australia Awards program,” he said.

 Australia deputy high commissioner Chris Ellinger said there are several great Australian companies already in Africa active in providing education and skills to local African communities around mining operations. 

“These companies already provide a full spectrum of education and training putting young Africans on the pathway to better paying jobs,” he said.

He said over 65 percent of Australian Mining, Equipment Technology and Services OR METS Companies export to overseas mining destinations, including about a third to Africa earning 114 billion AUD globally in revenue in 2020. 

These companies have established strong resilient supply chains globally that can flexibly adapt to customer needs. 

Driven by a pioneering spirit and a commitment to excellence Australian Mining Engineering Technologies companies have become renowned for solving some of the most difficult industry challenges in the world’s harshest mining environments. 

“From large scale open pit mines in the Kalahari copper belt to complex underground gold mining in the sub-zero temperatures of Northern Canada,  Australian companies have been at the forefront of developing innovative technologies and approaches to engineering, environmental, social and community development challenges,” he said.

It was also learned during the discussion that exploration companies are not able to recover VAT incurred in the expenditure from Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), which in turn delays Final Investment Decision (FID).