By: African mining market

Improved policies and more favourable business environment under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership have spurred a significant boom in the mining sector, with the Shinyanga and Kahama zones alone generating 540.17 billion/- in revenue over the past four years.

Shinyanga Regional Commissioner, Ms Mboni Mhita highlighted these achievements, showcasing the region’s progress from March 2021 to April 2025.

She noted that the mining sector has been among the most impressive performers during this period.

Briefing reporters in the capital, Ms Mhita stated that in the just-ended 2024/25 financial year, a total of 131.51 billion/- had been collected by April 2025, which is equivalent to 79.7% of the annual target of 165 billion/-.

To bolster the country’s lucrative mining sector, she added that during the same period, the government established the Buzwagi Investment Zone, expected to serve as a significant catalyst for economic development both within the region and across the nation.

Previously home to one of Tanzania’s largest gold mines, the Buzwagi area is now being transformed into a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) aimed at driving industrialisation, creating employment opportunities and sustaining economic growth beyond mining, while revitalising financial circulation in the region.

“This zone is not just replacing the Buzwagi mine. It is becoming a symbol of industrial transformation and economic resilience for our region,” Ms Mhita emphasised.

She further highlighted that the Buzwagi Investment Zone is set to become one of the country’s most advanced industrial parks.

“We have made great progress on this. It will be a unique zone compared to others, it already has infrastructure, water sources, a dedicated electricity generation centre and ready-built structures,” she said.

She reported that East Africa Conveyors Services has already commenced operations in the zone after securing its licence, while Kabanga Nickel has also joined the list of investors.

Additionally, 15 other companies have expressed strong interest in investing in the SEZ.

The region, she added, has received a total of 1.563 trillion/- over the past four years to implement development projects across various sectors.

Regarding the health sector, RC Mhita noted that the region received 79.1bn/-, which facilitated the completion of the Mwawaza Regional Referral Hospital and increased the number of district hospitals from two in 2020 to seven by 2025.

The number of health centres rose from 25 to 38, while dispensaries increased by 51, bringing the total to 277 facilities.

On education, she said the region was allocated 155.24 billion/-, enabling the construction of 946 new classrooms for primary schools and 1,282 classrooms for secondary schools.

The number of secondary schools rose to 200 and more than 1,200 new teachers were recruited.

“The region also saw the establishment of VETA-Bugarama Technical College, strengthening vocational training and skills development,” the RC added.

She also highlighted improvements in access to clean and safe water, with 113.33 billion/- invested in rural and urban water supply projects.
The Lake Victoria water project now serves over 100 villages, raising the number of villages with access to water from 162 in 2020 to 384 by 2025.
In the energy sector, she said all 506 villages in Shinyanga have now been connected to the national grid, with more than 130 electricity projects completed during the period.

The projects were implemented through an investment of 492 billion/- by TANESCO.

Additionally, over 6,500 clean cooking gas cylinders were distributed to promote safe and environmentally friendly energy use.