Tanzania revokes 175 mining licences
The government of Tanzania has cancelled 175 mining licences whose holders owe the government various levies in Kagera Region.
Minerals minister Doto Biteko issued the cancellation order and also directed that the revoked licences be issued to artisanal miners. The move follows Kyerwa MP Innocent Bilakwate plea to the government to allocate mining areas to small-scale tin miners so that they could earn more, and increase government revenue.
The minister revealed that more than 120 mining licences had expired, and that the holders of 55 permits had been informed that they were yet to pay levies due to the government.
Access to official markets
“We gave these miners 90 days to settle their outstanding levies, but they failed to do so. So, I’m directing that their licences be revoked immediately,” Mr Biteko said.
Earlier, Kagera regional mineral manager Lukas Mlekwa told the minister that 55 licence holders owed the government Sh1.1 billion in unpaid levies. He said the government collected Sh1 billion from mining activities in the first quarter of the current financial year in the area, adding that Sh99.1 million, or 132 percent of the target, was collected from tin miners alone.
Mr Biteko also directed Mr Mlekwa to supervise the signing of contracts between small-scale miners and licensed miners to enable the artisanal miners to access official markets. A tin miner, Mr Anselimi Rwekaza, said prices had risen significantly, and were now hovering between Sh25,000 to Sh36,000 per kilogramme from Sh6,000 offered last year.
