Tanzania renews Barrick’s North Mara mining licences for 15 years
The 15-year renewal provides long-term operating certainty for North Mara as Barrick continues investing in its Tanzanian gold operations
The Government of Tanzania has renewed Barrick Mining Corporation’s Special Mining Licences for the North Mara Gold Mine for a further 15 years, securing the company’s long-term operating tenure at the gold mine.
Barrick announced the renewal on Monday, October 5, saying the agreement will allow North Mara to continue investing in its operations, workforce and surrounding communities.
Barrick took over operations at North Mara in 2019 through the establishment of Twiga Minerals, a joint venture between Barrick and the Tanzanian government. The government holds a 16% interest in North Mara, while the two partners share the economic benefits from the mine and its sister operation, Bulyanhulu, on a 50:50 basis.
Since 2019, Barrick says it has contributed approximately $5.3 billion (about R89 billion) to the Tanzanian economy through taxes, royalties, salaries, dividends and local procurement.
Of this amount, $1.2 billion (about R20.2 billion) was contributed in 2025 alone.
Local procurement remains a significant component of Barrick’s operations, with more than 90% of procurement sourced from Tanzanian-registered companies, the majority of which are indigenous companies, according to the company.
In 2025, Barrick was also recognised by the Tanzanian government with several awards, including for being the country’s top dividend payer and highest contributor to government revenue.
“This is an important milestone for North Mara and for our partnership with Tanzania,” said Seb Bock, Chief Executive Officer of Barrick’s Rest of World business.
“Since 2019, we’ve worked with the Government of Tanzania and local communities to build a stronger partnership and to create more opportunities for all Tanzanians.”
Bock said the licence renewal reflects the company’s commitment to building long-term relationships with the government, local communities and other stakeholders.
North Mara is located in Tanzania’s Mara region, about 100 km east of Lake Victoria and 20 km south of the Kenyan border. The operation combines underground and open-pit mining and has a processing plant with capacity to process an average of 8,000 tonnes of ore per day.
Barrick said Tanzanian nationals now account for 96% of its approximately 3,000-strong workforce in the country, with 47% coming from communities surrounding its mines.
The renewal provides longer-term certainty for North Mara as Barrick continues mining and exploration activities in Tanzania.
