📍Njombe: The government has announced that Njombe Region is expected to become a new hub for mineral investment in the country after the discovery of two types of Rare Earth Elements (REE) minerals, Neodymium Nd and Praseodymium Pr, which are in great demand in modern technologies around the world, are found in Njombe.
Speaking in Mkiu village in Ludewa District, Njombe Region Resident Mineral Officer, Engineer Lucas Mlekwa said that research on these minerals is being carried out by Hongji Mining Co. Ltd in collaboration with locals, with the largest market for these minerals being in China due to the rapid growth of the industrial and technology sector.
He said REE minerals are used in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries, wind power plants as well as various electronic devices used around the world.
“Njombe Region continues to open a new page of development through these important resources that have a major contribution to the green technology revolution in the world”, said Engineer Mlekwa.
He explained that the company has already completed the first phase of research and is now in the second phase of detailed investigation before starting official production in an area measuring 280 square kilometers.
According to Engineer Mlekwa, more than one billion shillings have already been paid as compensation to the people who donated to the project, while the environmental impact assessment (EIA) is in the final stages of being completed before production activities begin.
Speaking about the implementation of the project, the Director of Hongji Mining Co. Ltd, Yahya Mohamed, said the company has chosen to use In Situ Leaching technology which reduces environmental impact by not involving large-scale open pit mining or underground mines.
He said the use of the technology will enable sustainable mining while protecting the environment and communities surrounding the project area.
“We want to see the people of Njombe become part of the success of this project through jobs, business opportunities and increased economic income”, said Mohamed.
The project is expected to increase the contribution of the mining sector to the economy of Njombe Region, stimulate new investments and enable Tanzania to benefit more from the international rare earths market which continues to grow rapidly worldwide.
