Tanzania has urged African countries to resist pressure to relax local processing requirements for strategic minerals in the name of attracting foreign investment, saying the continent risks losing much of the economic value of its mineral wealth.
Minister for Minerals Anthony Mavunde said countries should instead strengthen policies that require strategic minerals to undergo value addition locally before being exported.
Mr Mavunde, who represented President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a high-level meeting on strategic minerals held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, said local processing was critical to creating jobs, supporting industrialisation and increasing the contribution of mining to national economies.
“Let us not relax our conditions under the pretext of attracting investment, because adding value to minerals within our countries is an important pillar in developing our countries,” Mr Mavunde said on September 21, 2026.
He said some African countries viewed local value-addition requirements as a possible obstacle to investment, but argued that maintaining such policies would enable governments to secure greater benefits from their mineral resources.
The minister said countries that increased domestic processing would also strengthen their position in the global strategic minerals market and create more opportunities for their citizens.
The push is particularly significant as African countries seek to benefit from growing global demand for minerals used in modern technologies, industrial production and energy systems.
For Tanzania, Mr Mavunde said the government was preparing to launch a detailed mineral exploration programme aimed at increasing the area covered by detailed geological surveys from 16 per cent to 50 per cent by 2030.
He said expanding geological knowledge would help the country attract suitable investment into mineral exploration and extraction while supporting the development of processing industries.
“The aim is to ensure that, as a country, we secure appropriate investment in the extraction of our resources and stimulate the establishment of value-addition industries within the country,” he said.
The minister also promoted the African Minerals and Geosciences Centre (AMGC) in Kunduchi, Dar es Salaam, as a regional resource that African countries can use to strengthen geological research and mineral development.
He said the centre could support countries in improving their understanding of mineral deposits, conducting research and developing capacity for mineral value addition.
Mr Mavunde described the centre as an African asset, saying its facilities provide an opportunity for countries across the continent to collaborate in geological research and mineral development.
The meeting was organised by the African Strategic Minerals Group (ASMG), which is currently chaired by the Federal Government of Nigeria.