By Costantine Muganyizi
Tanzania is seeking to strengthen its mining investment environment, expand mineral exploration and accelerate domestic processing as the government pushes to turn the country’s mineral wealth into a stronger driver of industrialisation and economic growth.
These priorities will feature prominently at the Tanzania Mining & Investment Conference 2026, scheduled for November 19–21 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, under the theme “Value-Added Minerals: The Engine of Industrial and Economic Growth.”
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has pledged continued improvements to mining legislation and the business environment to attract investment while addressing obstacles that could constrain the sector.
“We will continue to improve our legislation and business environment to make sure that the available mineral resource transform Tanzania to a developed country while proactively minimizing constraints and challenges that might affect the investment,” she said in a message published on the conference website (https://conference.madini.go.tz/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).
The commitment comes as Tanzania seeks to move beyond extracting and exporting minerals towards capturing more economic value through domestic processing, beneficiation and mineral-based manufacturing.
In the year ending August 2026, gold exports alone garnered US$5.6 billion from US$4.3 billion on account of higher global prices and volumes, contributing nearly
two-thirds of the overall increase in goods exports, according to the Bank of Tanzania.
Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde said the government was preparing to expand geological knowledge through high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys, which could help identify new mineral deposits and open up additional investment opportunities.
“The Ministry has prepared a road map for conducting High Resolution Airborne Geophysical Survey and identifies Six priority areas. The implementation of this will lead to new discoveries of other mineral deposits for potential mining investment,” he said.
The surveys are intended to improve understanding of the country’s mineral potential, helping investors identify prospective areas and supporting decisions on exploration and future mining projects.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Eng. Yahya Samamba, said domestic value addition remained central to the government’s strategy for ensuring that mineral resources generate wider economic benefits.
“The government under the leadership of Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan remains committed to ensuring that value addition and mineral beneficiation are undertaken within Tanzania so that our mineral wealth delivers greater benefits to the economy,” he said.
Processing minerals locally can create opportunities beyond extraction, including manufacturing, employment, technology transfer and stronger domestic supply chains. However, realising these benefits will depend on investment in infrastructure, reliable energy, skilled labour, financing and a predictable regulatory environment.
The conference is expected to bring together stakeholders from government, mining companies, financial institutions and the investment community to explore opportunities and discuss the conditions required to expand investment across the mineral value chain.
Among the speakers listed on the conference website is Amne Suedi, an international lawyer, investment adviser, entrepreneur and Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Zanzibar.
Ms Suedi founded Shikana Investment and Advisory in 2014. The firm, operating in Switzerland and Tanzania, advises businesses and investors on market entry, strategic acquisitions, joint ventures, taxation, compliance and broader legal and commercial matters.
Her experience working with international companies, financial institutions and development organisations across several sectors in Eastern and Southern Africa and other markets is expected to bring an investment and cross-border business perspective to discussions.
For Tanzania, the central challenge is translating its mineral potential into sustained domestic economic gains. Sectoral experts say that requires not only attracting capital into exploration and mining but also creating commercially viable conditions for processing, manufacturing and the development of supporting industries. The conference will provide a platform for examining how improvements in the investment climate, new geological discoveries and domestic beneficiation can reinforce one another to support the country’s longer-term industrialisation ambitions, they contend.
