Tanzania is pressing ahead with a strategy to open up small-scale mining access, issuing licenses to 30 groups of youth and women in Mwanza region while simultaneously clawing back mining areas that were held without development and returning them to small-scale operators.
Minister for Minerals Antony Mavunde issued the licenses during an event at Mhande Ward in Mwanza, covering groups from Kwimba and Misungwi Districts and said government will continue issuing licenses to groups that meet the required conditions as part of a broader strategy to let small-scale miners fully participate in sector development. The reclamation piece of the strategy is already producing results. He noted, “The Mhande area in Mwanza with an area of 5,441 hectares was held by one person, now it has been returned to small-scale miners. This is a direct example of licenses being cancelled from underdeveloped holdings and redirected to active small-scale operators.”
The scale of interest is substantial. Mwanza Regional Resident Mining Officer Nyaisara Mgaya said the region received 228 license applications up to 13 July this year, with 30 groups of women and youth completing requirements and receiving licenses in this first phase, a cohort expected to benefit approximately 300 people directly. Mgaya said the licensing push serves a dual purpose beyond opening economic opportunity whilst increasing government revenue and protecting the environment.
Mavunde reinforced the safety and environmental dimension directly, urging Mhande Ward residents to use the opportunity to boost mineral production while emphasising safe mining practices. He also confirmed that state mining corporation STAMICO will bring dedicated mining equipment to Mhande Ward, giving the newly licensed groups the machinery access needed to make small-scale operations viable.
Kwimba District Commissioner Ngwilabuzu Ludigija commended President Samia Suluhu Hassan for continuing to enable small-scale miners to obtain licenses, while urging miners to comply with the law and protect the environment during their operations. In the mining sector where large-scale operations have historically captured the bulk of investment and licensing attention, the Mwanza rollout signals a deliberate redirection, reclaiming underused land holdings and channelling both licenses and equipment access toward the youth and women’s groups the government wants to bring into formal mining participation.
