Women participating in Tanzania’s mining value chain have been urged to operate under a unified platform as the government moves to expand their access to licences, financing, and value addition opportunities in a sector that continues to grow in national importance.
Minister for Minerals Anthony Mavunde said bringing women miners and processors under one umbrella would simplify engagement with authorities and improve their chances of benefiting from emerging opportunities across the industry.
He said the current arrangement, where multiple associations operate separately, limits coordination and makes it difficult for the government to reach them efficiently.
A single platform, he noted, would strengthen representation and enable quicker dissemination of information, training, and support.
Mr. Mavunde pointed to ongoing state-led investments aimed at deepening value addition, including a TZS 30 billion allocation by President Samia Suluhu Hassan for the construction of a gemstone cutting centre.
The facility is expected to create new opportunities, particularly for women engaged in mineral processing and downstream activities.
He said the mining sector’s Local Content framework also presents a major entry point, with about TZS 5.1 trillion set aside annually for procurement of goods and services by mining companies.
Organised groups, he added, stand a better chance of securing contracts and integrating into supply chains.
“Through a unified structure, it becomes easier to connect women to these opportunities and ensure they are not left behind,” Mr. Mavunde said.
The minister also outlined a targeted empowerment initiative under the Mining for a Brighter Tomorrow (MBT) programme, which focuses on women, youth and people with special needs.
The programme will provide licences, equipment, machinery and technical training in mining and mineral processing.
In a further step to expand participation, he directed that some revoked mining licences be reassigned to women groups.
Mr. Mavunde commended women and small-scale miners for their contribution to the sector, noting that mining now contributes 10.1 percent to Tanzania’s Gross Domestic Product, reflecting its growing role in the economy.
Tanzania Women Miners Association (TAWOMA) chairperson, Semeni Malale, welcomed the government’s efforts, saying they have begun to transform the participation of women in the industry.
She said women miners are increasingly organising themselves to improve productivity and take advantage of opportunities in extraction, processing and value addition.
The meeting brought together key women-led organisations in the sector, including TAWOMA, Tanzania Women in Mining and Mineral Industry (TWIMMI), Women in Mining Association (WIMA), and Women in Mining and Value Addition Organisation (WIMO), with participants expressing commitment to closer collaboration as the sector expands.
