The Kabanga Nickel Project, one of Tanzania’s most significant strategic mining and industrial investments, is now closer to full implementation following a high-level briefing to President Samia Suluhu Hassan on the progress of ongoing negotiations and preparations.
The update was presented at the State House by Keith Liddell, Founder and Executive Chairman of Kabanga Nickel Limited and Lifezone Metals (NYSE: LZM), alongside the Treasury Registrar, Nehemiah Mchechu.
The two officials reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the project in line with national development priorities and ensuring maximum benefits for Tanzania.
Liddell said the meeting reflected strong political will and continued support for the project at the highest level of government.
“It was a great honour to meet Her Excellency the President. She once again reaffirmed her strong commitment to this project and her support in advancing it under the agreed implementation framework,” he said.
For his part, Mchechu described the Kabanga Nickel Project as a game-changing investment with the potential to significantly boost Tanzania’s industrial base, create employment opportunities, and stimulate inclusive economic growth.
He said the government’s long-standing objective has been to ensure that value addition through mineral processing takes place within the country, enabling Tanzania to benefit more from its natural resources rather than exporting raw minerals.
Mchechu noted that while negotiations for a project of this scale are naturally complex and time-consuming, recent engagements have helped resolve key outstanding issues and paved the way for accelerated progress.
He added that the agreement being refined is expected to deliver broad-based benefits, including increased local participation, tax revenues, government dividends, technology transfer, and the development of downstream industries linked to mining.
According to him, the Kabanga project, together with other strategic investments in the sector, is expected to play a central role in advancing Tanzania’s industrialisation agenda and achieving long-term economic transformation goals.
Once fully operational, the Kabanga Nickel Project is expected to position Tanzania as a key global supplier of critical minerals used in clean energy technologies, including electric vehicle batteries, while ensuring significant value addition is undertaken locally.
The Kabanga deposit in north-western Tanzania is widely regarded as one of the world’s largest and highest-grade undeveloped nickel sulphide resources, placing the country in a strategic position within the global critical minerals supply chain at a time of rising demand for energy transition materials.
