📍Njombe: Njombe REGION is expected to become the new hub of the country’s mining economy following major investments in iron ore mining and processing projects aimed at creating thousands of jobs, promoting local businesses and increasing income for the people of Ludewa District, Njombe Region.
Njombe Regional Resident Mining Officer, Engineer Lucas Mlekwa, said that one of the major projects managed by the National Development Corporation (NDC) in collaboration with a foreign company has already obtained a Major Mining License after extensive research conducted between 2012 and 2013 to identify the presence of more than 126 million tons of iron ore.
He said the studies have also shown the presence of other valuable minerals associated with iron including titanium and vanadium, a step that increases the economic value of the project to the Nation.
“We are currently in the final stages of finalizing the agreement between the Government and investors, and we expect within a year the official implementation of the project to begin”, said Engineer Mlekwa.
According to Engineer Mlekwa, the project will involve two main activities which are mining and the construction of a modern steel processing plant that will produce various products that will be used in the construction and industrial sectors in the country.
He said the implementation of the projects will increase the participation of indigenous people through the implementation of the Tanzanian Participation in the Mining Sector policy, where citizens will benefit from employment and business opportunities including security services, transportation, supply of construction materials, mining services as well as other economic activities surrounding the projects.
He said the Maganga Matitu steel project, which is also managed by the NDC in partnership with a foreign company, has reached the final stages of preparation after the investor paid more than 4.2 billion shillings as compensation to the citizens who leased the project area, which has an estimated reserve of 45 million tons of iron ore.
Engineer Mlekwa said that the projects, Ludewa District will benefit from the implementation of the Mchuchuma project with more than 428 million tons of coal for electricity generation, which is expected to enhance energy availability for mining activities and steel factories to be built in Ludewa District.
He said that these developments will make Njombe among the most important areas in the country in the mining, industrial and energy sectors, while they are expected to increase the contribution of the mining sector to the growth of the national economy and the development of the people of the area.
