Tanzania’s gold sector: from reform and expansion to conflict?
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Date
2010
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS)
Abstract
Over the last decade, Tanzania has become Africa’s third largest producer of gold,
behind South Africa and Ghana. In the 1990s, in an effort to transform itself into an
economically viable, investor friendly state, the government of Tanzania (GoT)
reformed its investment and tax code to attract multinational mining companies vying
for mineral extraction rights. These reforms included allowing companies to repatriate
100 percent of profits, pay a royalty rate of only three percent on gold, and owe no
duty on imports of mining-related equipment. Unlike any other companies in
Tanzania, mineral companies also remain exempt from paying capital gains taxes
(Curtis and Lissu 2008). While these actions opened the door for rapid development
of the country’s mineral sector, particularly in the gold rich Lake Victoria region, they
also created widespread instability and confrontation with artisanal mining
communities that were displaced to make way for the operations of multinationals.
Description
An online edition of this Issue Brief can be found at: www.fess-global.org
Keywords
Mineral sector, Gold mining, Gold rich lake Victoria region, Multinational mining companies, Industry growth, Mining communities, Environmental implications, Tanzania
Citation
Hall, A. (2010). Tanzania’s gold sector: from reform and expansion to conflict? Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS)