IN a bid to halt tanzanite and gold smuggling in the country, the government through the Ministry of Energy and Minerals is on the drawing board to come up with a proper plan to regulate gem and smith dealers in the country.
This is after it had come to the
authority’s attention that most gems are smuggled as women ornaments for
easier transportation without being caught.
“Through our desks positioned at Dar es
Salaam, Mwanza and Kilimanjaro airports, we have observed that women are
being used to smuggle tanzanite gemstone and gold, seeing them wearing
the precious jewels does not mean they are all legal,” Minister for
Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, said During a live broadcast
programme aired by Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), Prof
Muhongo said they were currently finding best ways to regulate the
dealers in the country who are highly used in smuggling.
He said the government would tighten the
noose on mineral smugglers, adding that it was obvious that the country
made various mistakes in managing the sector in previous years due to
lack of awareness, but it was high time to move forward. According to
the minister, since 2012 through the desks in airports, they have so far
nabbed more than 10 tonnes of Tanzanite and gold.
Meanwhile, the minister said on
September 15 the government will provide grants to small scale miners’
phase III that aims in developing small-scale mining activities in the
country.
The minister explained that recently he
spoke with the World Bank which has pledged to provide between $3
million (Tsh.6.6 billion) and $4 million (Tsh.8.8billion) and will be
granted to different groups of miners in the country.
He added that the funds will also be
used to develop seven centres of exploration and small-scale mining that
will be chosen by the ministry after evaluating the areas that should
be settled.
“A research will be conducted by the
Agency of Geology Tanzania (GST) in those seven exemplary centres to
determine the sediment of gold contained in the relevant area before
being awarded to the miners,” Professor Muhongo stressed.
He said they were looking for these
grants so that miners could move into the extraction medium level that
brings more productivity to them and to the nation.
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