The Ministry of Minerals has announced the formation of a seven-member committee to advise the government on the empowerment of small-scale miners in the country.

The committee is chaired by Victor Tesha, Vice Chairperson of the Federation of Miners Associations of Tanzania. The secretary of the committee is Dr. Abdulrahman Mwanga, the Mining Commissioner. Other members include Theobald Sabi, Managing Director of the National Bank of Commerce; Dr. Mussa Budeba, CEO of the Geological Survey of Tanzania; Hadija Ramadhani, a lawyer from the Mining Commission; Dr. Theresia Numbi, a lawyer and local content expert; and a financial consultant introduced by the Ministry only as Ivan.

READ: Here is Why Small-Scale Miners are the Future of the Tanzania’s Mining Sector

The committee has been given one month to submit its report. Its terms of reference include proposing effective strategies for economically empowering small-scale miners through productive mining practices, assessing and offering recommendations on the establishment of a Small-Scale Miners’ Bank, and proposing viable approaches for the creation of a Mineral Fund to support local miners.

Although small-scale miners contribute approximately 44 percent of the mining sector’s share of the national GDP, they face numerous challenges. These include limited access to capital, a lack of essential geological data, reliance on low-level technology, and, at times, direct competition with large-scale investors. In some cases, this competition leads to the takeover of mineral fields initially explored by small-scale miners.

While the law permits foreign investors to provide technical support to small-scale miners, recent cases have shown that some mine operators exploit this provision by illegally selling mines to investors under the pretense of technical assistance.