Oriented Keys to Overcome Problems in Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector in Tanzania: A Review

Tanzania`s mineral potential can be harnessed to make a significant contribution to the national economy and the benefits may reach a wide spectrum of the population. Gold production has dominated Tanzanian industry for more than a century and stands at roughly 40 tonnes a year. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) is a feature of gold mining regions in Tanzania and plays a significant role as a direct source of employment in mining and in generating additional jobs in rural areas. Since the 1990s the Government has developed a legal and policy framework for integrating ASGM into a national mineral development strategy for economic growth and improvement of social well-being of the population. By now ASGM accounts for approximately 10 % of Tanzanian gold production. However, the processing of gold ores can be highly problematic for ASGM, due to implication of low grade and more complex ores containing copper, arsenic and antimony minerals. It can cause lower gold recovery, increased reagent consumption and higher toxicity of the effluent. This paper identifies the main problems for ASGM, causes of failure and presents oriented keys to overcome mistakes, optimize the process, develop successful operations and manage the risks. At the same time the development of large-scale/small-scale relationships as an economic strategy is reviewed and compared with particular focus on the advantages and limitations in large-scale/small-scale partnerships.