Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, September 28, 2023.
Stakeholders gather in Arusha to demand accountability on climate action
Deputy Finance Minister Hamad Chande doubted if the world was on the right path to tackle the climate crisis that continues to wreak havoc on the lives of millions of people worldwide, calling on rich nations to commit more funding to climate action.
Mr Chande, who doubles as Kojani MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM), gave the assessment while officiating the two-day 2023 International Transparency and Accountability Conference (ITAC 2023) currently underway in Arusha.
This is the third ITAC that WAJIBU – Institute of Public Accountability, a local think-tank working to promote public accountability in Tanzania, has been organising. The conferences occur annually, bringing national and international experts to exchange experiences and best practices on better management and utilising public financial resources.
Themed ‘Strengthening Accountability for Climate Action,’ this year’s conference focuses on climate change, which WAJIBU is jointly organising with the Vice President’s Office, under whose docket all national environmental interventions happen. It focuses on ways to strengthen accountability for climate action.
Full story here.
Australia’s Noble Helium announces progress at its Mbele-1 project in Rukwa
Australia-based Noble Helium said in a statement that it is advancing well with its rig-up for the Mbelele-1 well at the company’s North Rukwa Helium Project in Tanzania as it looks to develop a product potentially valued at 50 times the cost of LNG.
The company said that the Marriott Rig #16 ‘rig-up’ is well underway, with the 38 semitrailer loads of rig and associated drilling equipment all onsite and being assembled in preparation for the spudding of Mbelele-1.
Similarly, all oilfield services equipment is onsite for integration into the drilling unit as it is assembled. A key benefit of engaging experienced drilling and services partners is that all required equipment for the drilling campaign, including spares, has been delivered in one logistical effort.
The company explained that a 20 surface conductor was set at each of the Mbelele well sites a number of weeks ago. Its first well, Mbelele-1, will spud once operations are ready to commence safely, with all equipment assembled, commissioned and acceptance tested.
Justyn Wood, Noble Helium’s CEO, said that it was “incredible” to see the absolute focus and dedication of the company’s team to pull together and execute the program successfully and safely.
“All of the years of hard work are now coming together as we prepare to demonstrate what has the potential to be an entirely new and globally significant helium province,” he said. “Tanzania’s rift basin helium potential is self-evident in the anomalous helium concentrations where fluids are finding their way to surface up to an order of magnitude greater than anywhere else on the planet.”
He said the company was applying over 20 years of “very successful exploration
experience” throughout the East African Rift system to pinpoint locations for its accumulation in the subsurface, which he said was coming together, noting that “Ee are extremely confident.”
“We also now have everything in place to move from discovery to monetisation quickly, and the whole team is very excited,” Mr Wood added.
UK-based Marula Mining secures interest in NyoriGreen Graphite Project in Manyara
UK-based mining and exploration company Marula Mining announced Thursday that the company and its Tanzanian wholly-owned subsidiary, Marula Mining Tanzania Limited (MMT), have entered into a binding Heads of Agreement with the Tanzanian mining company, NyoriGreen Mining Limited (NML), to secure a 75 per cent commercial interest in 10 granted graphite licenses that make up the NyoriGreen Graphite Project in Simanjiro, Manyara region.
In a company update, Marula Mining, the agreement follows site visits by its Board and management and by representatives from Q Global Commodities in recent months to the Nyorinyori Graphite Project and surrounding area and a decision to strengthen Marula’s position around Nyorinyori.
The NyoriGreen Project is located less than 100m from the Nyorinyori Graphite Project, where Marula holds a 75 per cent commercial interest with local Tanzanian mining company Takela Mining Tanzania Limited.
In April 2023, the company reported high-grade shallow graphite mineralisation had been observed in broad graphite veins exposed and where additional associated graphite mineralisation was observed at the surface from numerous outcrops, extending over an initial strike length of over two kilometres.
In a statement, Jason Brewer, Marula Mining PLC CEO, said he was pleased to see the company has expanded its footprint in the battery metals sector and, in particular, significantly built on its position around the Nyorinyori Graphite Project in Tanzania.
“Our initial findings at Nyorinyori indicate high-grade and shallow graphite mineralisation, jumbo and large graphite flakes extending over an initial strike length of over two kilometres and which remained open. With this in mind and after a number of site visits in the past months, we were keen to expand our presence in this area,” Mr Brewer said.
“Our decision to increase our position in Tanzania’s fast-growing graphite sector is due to the many project opportunities we see there and the increasingly positive outlook for the sector and demand for graphite.
“We are pleased to be working with the team at NyoriGreen, and we look forward to commencing work with them and our consultants and growing team on the ground. I look forward to updating shareholders on our progress and further developments here shortly,” he added.
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