The Mining Commission has been challenged to create a more competitive and predictable investment environment while strengthening regulation to ensure Tanzania derives greater economic and social benefits from its mineral resources.
Commission Chairperson Dr Janet Lekashingo issued the call on Monday, August 10, 2026, during a Commission meeting in Dodoma that reviewed its performance in the 2025/26 financial year and discussed measures to strengthen the mining sector’s contribution to economic growth.
Dr Lekashingo said mining was one of the strategic sectors expected to play a key role in implementing Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050 through increased investment, government revenue, employment and business opportunities.
She said the Commission had a responsibility to improve the investment climate while ensuring mining laws and regulations were effectively enforced.
“The Government, under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has high expectations for the mining sector. It is our responsibility to position ourselves properly, continue improving the investment environment and, at the same time, firmly enforce the laws and regulations so that the country and Tanzanians fully benefit from their resources,” she said.
Dr Lekashingo said a conducive investment environment should go hand in hand with transparency, efficiency and accountability to ensure growth in the mining sector delivers sustainable benefits to the wider economy.
Dr Lekashingo commended the Commission for its performance during the 2025/26 financial year, particularly after it collected TZS 1.39 trillion in revenue, exceeding its TZS 1.20 trillion target by 16 percent.
She said the performance demonstrated the growing importance of the mining sector to the national economy and should motivate the Commission to further improve its efficiency.
Mining Commission Executive Secretary Engineer Ramadhani Lwamo said the value of minerals produced and sold during the financial year increased to TZS 22.11 trillion, from TZS 15.75 trillion in 2024/25.
The increase represents 40.4 percent growth, reflecting the expanding scale of mining production and mineral trade in Tanzania.
“This growth demonstrates the significant progress being made in the mining sector and its increasing contribution to the national economy,” Eng Lwamo said.
During the year, the Commission issued 16,084 mining licences, while the number of mineral markets reached 44 and mineral buying centres increased to 120.
The expansion of formal mineral markets and buying centres is expected to strengthen oversight of mineral trading and further support the formalisation of the sector.
Dr Lekashingo also directed the Commission to intensify public education and promotion of opportunities available throughout the mining value chain.
She said Tanzanians should be made more aware of opportunities in exploration, extraction, mineral processing, value addition and mineral trading.
She also stressed the need to strengthen local participation in the sector, particularly through the supply of goods and services, employment and skills development.
The meeting considered reports and recommendations from the Commission’s Technical Committee, Local Content Committee, Employment and Human Resources Management Committee, and Finance and Planning Committee.
Dr Lekashingo said the Commission’s priorities going forward should include improving regulatory efficiency, attracting productive investment, increasing Tanzanian participation in the mining value chain and ensuring mineral resources generate greater and sustainable benefits for citizens.
She said the focus should be on ensuring that growth in the mining sector translates into increased government revenues, jobs, opportunities for local businesses and broader economic benefits in line with the objectives of Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050.
