Tanzania is seeking to strengthen its capacity to process and refine minerals locally as it deepens technical cooperation with Finland in a move aimed at increasing the value retained from the country’s mineral resources.
The cooperation focuses on mineral processing, smelting, metal refining and other technologies that could help Tanzania move further up the mineral value chain rather than relying heavily on the export of raw or minimally processed minerals.
A delegation of Tanzanian mining experts visited Metso Corporation’s laboratory in Pori on September 29, 2025, to learn about technologies and industrial practices used in mineral processing and metal refining.
The delegation, drawn from the Ministry of Minerals and several public and private-sector institutions, worked with the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), which has been supporting technical cooperation between the two countries.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Msafiri Mbibo, said Tanzania was interested in applying modern technologies to expand mineral value addition and increase the economic contribution of the sector.
He said the experience gained in Finland would help Tanzanian experts better understand technologies used in mineral processing, smelting and refining.
“Tanzania is committed to implementing its mineral value-addition policy to ensure that our mineral resources contribute more to the national economy,” Mr Mbibo said.
The delegation was also briefed on Finland’s experience in processing minerals such as nickel and copper, including technologies designed to improve efficiency while reducing environmental impacts.
The visit brought together experts from the Ministry of Minerals, Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST), Mining Commission, Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), Tanzania Chamber of Mines and National Environment Management Council (NEMC).
GTK representatives said the programme was intended to deepen technical cooperation between Tanzania and Finland in research, technology and sustainable mineral processing.
For Tanzania, the push for local processing is significant because greater value addition can create opportunities beyond mineral extraction, including industrial investment, specialised jobs, technical skills development and wider participation by local businesses.
The Government has increasingly promoted processing and refining as part of efforts to capture more economic value from the country’s mineral wealth.
The experience gained from Finland is expected to strengthen the capacity of Tanzanian institutions and experts to assess, adopt and manage modern mineral-processing technologies while taking environmental considerations into account.
The cooperation also comes as Tanzania seeks to build a more integrated mining value chain in which more stages of mineral production are undertaken locally.
Officials said the continued exchange of expertise would support efforts to ensure the country derives greater economic benefits from its mineral resources through technology, processing and value addition.