More Gold in Tanzania... People remain poor!

[nngu007]

Source Plsease???.. Naona data
"It is hard to believe it, but that is the reality in a country where 38million plus population lives in abject poverty, below a dollar per day, while 89percent of the total population survive on a single meal per day". lina utata!

Yeah most of our people are peasants and not middle class; in a develeped world a person who has a house electricity water education then a person is not poor; sasa nenda wilaya yoyote nchini na uangalia familia jinsi sinavyoishi and to compare with other developed nations hapa Dar hatuna Umeme na Maji we are qualified as poor we live in poverty.

 

[nngu007]

Mkuu.
Na sisi tuombe No-fly zone?

Mheshimiwa sisi tuna "amani na utulivu" the most precious metal of all, the most precious thing than food!
Simply, you cant quantify "our amani na utulivu"

Kwa tusivyo makini, some thing is cooking! Unakumbuka ile miripuko ya Ubalozi wa US Dar?
Na walimu tunaoletewa wa Peace Corps?
Tukae tayari!

Ni vyema CCM waanze tu kufanya reforms za maana, waelewe nchi hii si ya CCM....wealth of this country should be shared with all Tanzanians.

Tuangalie Libya, tuangalie Ivory Coast kama tuna macho, na tutafakari kama tuna akili.

Haya Tuna Amani na Utulivu; Polulation yetu inaongezeka Vijana ni Wengi hawana Kazi, Tunautulivu hatuna Umeme na Maji Mijini, Mashambani tunategemea Mvua na haziko kwahiyo - Wengi wetu ni wazururaji, Majangili na Wagomvi sasa unaona Udini Umeanza - Utulivu utakuwa wapi wakati hao viongozi matumbo yamejaa ... tunaelekea huko kwa Libya na Ivory Coast kama tutakaa na hawa viongozi

 

[Nonda]

Haya Tuna Amani na Utulivu; Polulation yetu inaongezeka Vijana ni Wengi hawana Kazi, Tunautulivu hatuna Umeme na Maji Mijini, Mashambani tunategemea Mvua na haziko kwahiyo - Wengi wetu ni wazururaji, Majangili na Wagomvi sasa unaona Udini Umeanza - Utulivu utakuwa wapi wakati hao viongozi matumbo yamejaa ... tunaelekea huko kwa Libya na Ivory Coast kama tutakaa na hawa viongozi

Mkuu.
Umenifahamu ingawa kwa aina uliyoichagua.

 

[Nonda]

Source Plsease???.. Naona data
"It is hard to believe it, but that is the reality in a country where 38million plus population lives in abject poverty, below a dollar per day, while 89percent of the total population survive on a single meal per day". lina utata!

Mkuu.
Ukiona sehemu yoyote duniani US wanatanua misaada yao na shughuli za kibalozi..utambue kuna namna.
Kama hiyo haitoshi...uliza akina Barricks

Ama umasikini angalia Per Capita income itakusaidia, halafu toa zinazogharamia wabunge, kulipa fidia DOWANS, tunazolipa riba ya mikopo tunayochukua na uendeshaji wa serikali yenye Rais, makamo wa rais, waziri,naibu waziri,Balozi,naibu balozi, mkurungenzi,naibu mkurungenzi, mlinzi, naibu mlinzi...kinachobaki utajua hizo data hazisemi uongo.

Wengine katika wananchi hata huo mlo mmoja hapati.
Kweli mwenye shibe hamjui mwenye njaa!!

Kama mahospitali yetu yangetoa matibabu ya kweli, unafikiri watu wangekwenda Loliondo?
Nyerere alisema zamani "uchumi tunao lakini............."

 

[Habdavi]

ipo siku patachimbika

hapa. Sasa hivi wanaeneza propaganda za

udini ili

kutupoteza dira. Tusikubali !

 

[myhem]

tusubiri uzawa wa viongozi vilaza upotee ( yani mpaka wote wafe ) sasa ndio vijana wasomi watapata nafasi ya kuliokoa taifa.


Kwa sasa vilaza hawana jinsi zaidi ya kufuja mali za nchi.

kama unafikiri hao viongozi wataisha nchi hii basi unajidanganya.wakishaona machweo yanakuja wanawaingiza watoto wao kwenye system.na kwa vile mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka basi vilaza hawawezi kuisha nchi hii.

 

[FaizaFoxy]

As massive poverty continues to rock the majority of Tanzanians, the latest data reveal that Tanzania`s wealth in terms of the top five metals out of eleven provable mineral deposits amounting to millions of tonnes.
​

It is hard to believe it, but that is the reality in a country where 38million plus population lives in abject poverty, below a dollar per day, while 89percent of the total population survive on a single meal per day.

According to a geological survey conducted last year by the ministry of energy and minerals, Tanzania has huge reserves in eleven key minerals which include Gold, Nickel, Tanzanite, Diamonds, Copper, Iron Ore, Coal, Limestone, Soda Ash, Gypsum and Phosphate.

The five key minerals and their provable amounts in brackets is Gold (2,222tones), Nickel (209million tones), Diamonds (Carat 50.9million), Copper (13.65million tones), and Iron ore (103million tones).

However since this was just a geological survey undertaken by experts last year, its actual result is approximated to be accurate by up to 70 percent.

So far, only three types of minerals - gold, diamonds, Tanzanite - are being fully mined by multinational companies which at the end of the day take 97percent, leaving only peanut to the original Tanzanian owners.

If well managed through sound, people-centered mining policies, the mining sector can catapult Tanzanians to the proverbial promised land in decades and generations to come.

Comparing these huge deposits and the actual situation of poverty in the country, the message that comes across one`s mind is that Tanzania is in what experts describe as `resource curse`.

The term `resource curse` refers to the observation that nations with rich endowments of natural resources (oil, metals, timber) often dramatically under-perform economically relative to what one would expect.

Common sense and simple economics suggest that countries blessed with an abundance of natural resources should live long and prosper.
Yet over many years, it has been observed that nations rich in oil, gas, or mineral resources have been disadvantaged in the drive for economic progress.

Why are we poor?

Perhaps the biggest question that begs an urgent answer is; why are we so poor despite having all these huge minerals deposits?

It is a question that policy makers and politicians have been avoiding to seek answers for.

Tanzania like many other African countries is highly blessed with rich natural resources, but its people are swimming in the deep sea of massive poverty.
But the appalling truth is that instead of financing people`s development, Africa's huge mineral resources were used to fund the brutal civil wars that ravaged millions of people during the past four decades.

Today in Africa only a few countries like Botswana, Ghana and South Africa have managed to use their natural resources, especially minerals, to facilitate development and welfare to their people.

This example is vividly manifested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sudan and Angola whereby masters of the wars used natural resources to finance their deadly power struggle.

However in Tanzania, there wasn`t any civil war apart from the role played by the founding President, (the late) Dr Julius Nyerere, in liberating Southern African countries during the nationalist struggle.

While it is an undeniable truth that the move to allow the private sector to participate in the mining industry was brilliant one, the truth is that due to poor policies introduced by the third phase government, the whole idea has become a disaster to Tanzanians.

This is well echoed in the lucrative mining industry which has been mainly benefiting multinational companies, while paying the government a small slice of the cake.
Last year, for instance, the Minister for Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja, told the parliament that during the period between 2001 and 2006, Tanzania produced gold worth $2.6 billion (Tshs3.38 trillion), but the government earned only $78 million.
In simple arithmetic, this is just 3 percent of the total revenues generated from thousands of tonnes of gold produced in the Lake Victoria gold belt. It also shows that the government earned an average of $13 million annually during that period from the multibillion industry whose real investments currently is valued at $2.5 billion.

According to the available statistics from the mining industry, from June 2000 to December 2006, the two biggest gold mines in the country produced a total of 5,686,710 ounces of gold, which at the current gold price of $600 per ounce is valued at Tshs 4.3 trillion ($ 3.3 billion), but what the nation earned is frightening and a shame.

While mineral production has increased in Tanzania in the past few years with export per year estimated to be nearly $900 million (Tshs1.17 trillion), the contribution of the mining sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains very minimal, accounting to 3 percent.

According to the National Economic Survey report released in 2006, the growth rate of mining and quarrying sector increased from 15.4 percent in 2004 to 15.7 percent in 2005, whereby the increment was attributed to new investments in Tulawaka gold mines in Biharamulo District, Kagera Region.

The report further states that, the contribution of the sector to GDP, which is the total value of goods and services produced in a country during a year, increased from 3.2 percent in 2004 to 3.5 percent in 2007.

Indeed, with all that wealth why you are poor? I also don't know. Did you ask yourself why you are poor?

The only answer I can think of, is either you are too lazy or ?

Why is Mbowe, Slaa, Mengi and so on and so forth are not poor? They own millions if not billions.

If you are poor you have only yourself to blame or is it your dad? Who did not accumulate enough wealth for you to inherit like your dear Chairman Mr. Freeman Mbowe?

I wonder why you are poor?

 

[Saint Ivuga]

Indeed, with all that wealth why you are poor? I also don't know. Did you ask yourself why you are poor?

The only answer I can think of, is either you are too lazy or ?

Why is Mbowe, Slaa, Mengi and so on and so forth are not poor? They own millions if not billions.

If you are poor you have only yourself to blame or is it your dad? Who did not accumulate enough wealth for you to inherit like your dear Chairman Mr. Freeman Mbowe?

I wonder why you are poor?

dude you think mboye is the rich man? mbowe is among of the richest man? is that your example? ooo hell no
shot me please!!

 

[FaizaFoxy]

dude you think mboye is the rich man? mbowe is among of the richest man? is that your example? ooo hell no
shot me please!!

Mbowe is not the richest nor is he poor. Mbowe is rich by any standards in Tanzania.

Maybe your definition of poor and rich is a bit crooked.

 

[nderingosha]

THERE is a serious misconception among earth sciences’ experts (geologists, geophysicists, mining engineers etc) as well as policy-makers especially in our countries, i.e. Third World countries primarily in Africa — Tanzania being a case in point — that green-field exploration for hard-rock minerals is costly and risky.

It is indeed true that hydrocarbon (oil & gas) exploration can yield tremendous results, with huge profits earned upon exploitation of the discovered reserves. But, the same is today equally true of hard-rock minerals exploration.

Most minerals existing in Tanzania and their locations, including Uranium, are well known to specialists including our own experts in Tanzania {not only the Mkuju River deposits. In fact, I recommend the govt. to send our experts to areas with similar geology to the one at Mkuju, in Southern Tanzania (Songea and Namtumbo areas), in Central Tanzania (Dodoma, Manyoni & Mbuga areas) as well as to the Minjingu Phosphates in southwest Arusha to look for more of this mineral since Uranium may also be found in phosphates}.

What we are supposed to do in this case is to contract foreign exploration and mining companies to explore and mine the minerals while we retain full (100 per cent) equity ownership of the deposits. The foreign companies should work under strict terms of reference spelled out by Tanzanian experts through their government.

This is exactly what the Middle East and other oil-and-gas producing countries are doing while retaining 100 per cent ownership of their mineral assets.Norway — a European Union country and one of the most affluent free-market economies in the world — also restricts majority ownership of its huge oil-and-gas assets to its local companies STATOIL and NORKS HYDRO.

The same is being done by the oil-rich Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iran and Iraq. We see the same trend in Latin America (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil et al).Russia has passed legislation effectively banning majority ownership by foreigners of what it deems strategic assets, be it in the mineral sector, in oil-and-gas, in telecommunications, in the nuclear sphere, in Space, High-Tech industries, et al…

Russia fundamentally changed its law on natural resources, restricted — and in some cases, even banned Production Sharing Agreements which used to be the model contracts for its oil-and-gas exploration and production agreements in the 1990s. It also made similar approaches to exploration and exploitation of its hard-rock minerals (ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals as well as precious stones, non-metal hard minerals like coal, etc), making it impossible for foreign companies to ever again own majority equity in its natural resources and strategic assets.

Brazen political decisions were taken despite criticism from foreign companies and their host countries that Russia is playing a rough game by limiting foreign majority equity ownership in its natural resources, including minerals.

But, in the end, Russia proved to be right since it was able to recoup and recover its mineral assets scooped earlier by foreign companies, some craftily, some by mere shrewdness in collusion with crafty Russian state officials and wheeler-dealers who later on went to become the highly despised Russian Oligarchs now numbering 114!

Russia decided to retain majority equity stakes for the State through its firms (GAZPROM, ROSNEFT, ALROSA, GAZPROMNEFT, etc) as well as Russian-registered and Russian-owned private companies (RUSAL, INTERROS, POLYUS GOLD, NORILSK NICKEL, METALLOINVEST, NOVOLIPETSK STEEL, MAGNITOGORSK IRON & STEEL WORKS LUKOIL, NOVATEK, BASIC ELEMENT, URALKALI, SEVERSTAL, EVRAZ etc) which pay their huge taxes in Russia thus allowing the nation to earn huge income in foreign exchange.

This, in turn, enabled the government to re-distribute and spread wealth among its citizens through self-financing of its national budget, increasing pensions and other social benefits (cheap education, transport and medical services) as well as creating a sovereign wealth fund (which, in February 2008, was divided into the Reserve Fund and the National Welfare Fund).

This pretty well helped Russia successfully navigate this turbulent period of the global economic and financial crisis without going begging for alms from foreign nations and the international financial system contrary to what we saw, and are still seeing, in Greece, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and other countries of the European Union.

While retaining majority equity ownership (not less than 51 per cent) of our mineral resources in Tanzania, we can then offer a minority share to a strategic investor/s who will be subject to finance the exploration and exploitation/mining of the deposits, offer the necessary technical, technological, financial and managerial expertise and skills needed to effectively exploit/mine the deposits — including training local experts.

The expenditure for such exploration is peanuts (some few millions to several tens of millions of US dollars). But, the outcome of this expenditure, call it risk, is minuscule compared to the benefits earned as the Mkuju River uranium project has shown.

Mantra Resources might have spent a maximum of US$10 million or less (or to quote unsubstantiated remarks: up to $30 million). But, it is selling the asset for over US$1 billion, thus reaping a profit of over 10,000 per cent! This a return of investments for a period of a mere 1-3 years of working to appraise the Uranium deposits at Mkuju!

What other proof of affordable risk does our Govt. need to convince all of you that it is worth investing ourselves in exploration of our vital and strategic mineral deposits like Uranium, Oil, Gas, Gold, Nickel, Diamonds, Tanzanite and own them 100 per cent and only offer minority states to swap for financial investments and management of these resources?

Tanzania is now ready to throw away Tsh94 billion (US$ 64 million) on a bogus contract in the Richmond/Dowans-Tanesco saga which has nevertheless left the country with no electricity, but not ready to spend a tenth or fifteenth part of that sum (about US$6-10 million) on exploration and appraisal of such assets like the Mkuju River Uranium — and, in return, own an asset worth over US$1 billion, with the potential to tap into even much huger reserves as we continually appraise the asset itself or similar ones existing in Tanzania!

This is the paradox of how a Tanzanian, an African, thinks! That is why, in Russia (and elsewhere, too), there is a very unpleasant perception of an African. And, this crops up whenever Russians comment about Africans especially when they see our leaders on TV and the press who come here on begging visits.

They call them: “these people/leaders from ‘exotic’ countries… Exotic not only because they come from countries with simba, fisi, tembo, tumbili and vifaru, but exotic in their way of thinking.

They (the Russians) argue that these people (African leaders) always come here to beg for assistance, sometimes even petty assistance, in return giving their mineral and other assets almost for free… Russians would never allow such a thing to happen with their Uranium or whatever mineral assets the way we are now ceding: cheaply, even almost freely, in fact, throwing away our rights over the Mkuju River uranium deposits…

The same thing our old chiefs did, exchanging/throwing away our territories including minerals and slaves for bangili, vioo, hereni, mikufu, etc. This led to the colonization and enslavement of Africa!

Just imagine, our Mkuju River Uranium deposits were taken from us. I don’t know how much Mantra Resources paid the Tanzanian Govt. to acquire the prospecting, and probably, mining licenses there, but I think it could hardly have been more than US$200,000. Quite possibly, Mantra Resources never even paid any Signature Bonus since it was not demanded from them by our Govt.!

Then the company spent a few hundred thousand or a million US dollars – finally selling the asset for over US$1 billion US$!

And the Tanzania Govt. and its people don’t own anything in the mine… Nor do they have rights to determine what those assets could do to benefit them in, say, nuclear power generation or going high-tech!

What other explanation do you need here to refute that we are indeed ‘exotic?’ How can we forfeit such opportunities to make ourselves rich, create huge wealth and tap abundant capital ourselves, instead of going around begging for alms like budget support peanuts?

Just compare what we are now begging for with what we have forfeited in the Mkuju River Uranium deposits — as well as earlier on in the gold assets stupidly handed over cheaply, even almost freely, to Barrick Gold, shares of which were then floated in London, earning the company and its shareholders (including the crafty silent Tanzanian millionaires) billions of US dollars with nothing going to the majority of the poor Tanzanians, including me and you, who are the true and real owners of the assets..!


source
News

 

[MPadmire]

Tanzania Politicians have shortage of thinking capacities in their up stairs.

Mwalimu Nyerere is the only leader I can see who had better thinking capacity, he was able to oversee things and evaluate, brain storm, analyse and decide.

So since this Tanzania Politicians have shortage of upstairs, they think only on their stomach, small houses and fishy things.

They become selfish and hence betray Tanzanians by the 10%.

How can leader lost legitimate to protect his country for the 10%

Example 10% is like let say 10 billion but the Investors will be left to harvest Tanzania Resources (Gold, Hunting Blocks live animals) worth billions of Dollars and that have driven more poverty to Tanzania.

Also these Investors are getting Tax free holidays while Tanzanians pay tax.

So normal Tanzanians are becoming more poor despite working hard.

These Politicians (Ministers) were supposed to work and help fellow Tanzanian through These Natural resources. hence Tanzanians would be charged less tax and also tax (VAT) on basic needs could be reduced and compensated through selling our Natural resources Gold e.t.c

Standard of life of Tanzanian is deteriorating day to day because of embezzlement and corruption.

So I urge Tanzania Government to reduce Tax on Fuel, cement, roofing, cooking oil, sugar, e.t.c

 

[Kamundu]

There is more then one reason but let me share few

1. Political System: Need to change to more of economical focus example use statistical data to implement development. Six sigma and all others tools are available. We need to operate like business
2. Privatization: All companies in Tanzania should be private from Utilities companies like Tanesco to Transportation companies like TRC. China style is not working for Tanzania because (a) Corruptions (b)Poor legal system. Nobody in power is really scared of legal system in Tanzania (c) Uzalendo most people especially leaders are selfish. Currently Tanzania is planning to pick one company to import Oil!!! this is a very good example of corruption in Tanzania.
3. Higher Education: Tanzania is not investing in higher education wisely, Japan, America and German all they have is technology and you can educate people to be like Japan and USA.
4. Infastructures: Poor road n.k
Tanzania lacks talented leaders most politicians are really not talented at all

 

[kinja]

We are playing a game that we know at the end of the day we are going to loose. tanzania with a lot of investors from Namtumbo in southern to north mara in northern but extremely poor from western in kigoma to eastern in pwani (msoga) to ikwiriri

 

[Nguto]

Nyerere aliwakatalia wazungu enzi zake walipokuja na deals za ajabu ajabu za kuchimba madini. Aliwaambia ntasubiri wanachi wangu wasome watachimba wenyewe. Akawasomesha na akaanzisaha shirika la kuchimba madini "State Mining Coporation" STAMICO. Wamefanya nini waliofuata baada yake!!!! Aibu!!!Wameuza kila kitu! Mwenzenu naumia sana nikiona yanayotokea ambayo nyerere alijitahidi kuyazuia. Anaweza kuwa alikuwa na ubaya wake lakini in comparison he is better a million times!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Habdavi]

MOD hii thread ilifaa kuwa kwenye mambo ya siasa. 'exotic' thinkers wengi wapo kule, waone wanavyoiuza nchi kwa bei che na huku bado kuomba omba kama watoto yatima.

 

[Gama]

Nashauri, Mtoa mada wa awali abadili taito isomeke" Tanzania poor country with richer citizens", tueleze ama tufafanue hali ya uchumi wa tz na wa watz kwa context kadhaa:
1: Watanzania wanafedhanyingi, inchi haina fedha. Hii inasababishwa naserikali mbovu isiyokusanya kodi na akili chafu na yawizi wa wananchi kutopenda kulipa kodi. Kwa hiyo nchi haina mitaji wa kuwekeza kwenye expensive investments kama mineral exploration.

2: Watanzania wanaroho mbaya nahawapendani: kuna watz wenye mitaji mikubwa lakini wakiwekeza nchini mwao huonekana kama ni wanyonyaji; mfano wananchi walilalamikia umiliki wa mgodi wa kiwira, to your surprise hata kamati ya bunge ya mashirika ya umma ilipoenda kukagua the main agenda was" who owns this" badala ya kukagua na kushauri namna gani uzalishaji ufanyike kwa manufaa ya nchi wao wanamtafuta mmiliki- sijasikia wakiuliza mmiliki wa shamba la kapunga ni nani?!?!.

3: sambamba na hali niliyoeleza (ktk #2) watanzania wana opt kutanua na si kuwekeza ili kukuza mitaji, mfano: ni kawaida kukuta mtanzania anamiliki nyumba yenye thamani ya sh 100 mil na magari ya mamilioni bila kuwa na investment yoyote, watu hawa ndio ambao mtoa mada anapendekeza wailiki mogodi?, how? Watataka serikali ichimbe kisha wao wamilikishwe!?

4: ushauri: tuache anasa, tukusanye mitaji. Kumbuka JKN alikuwa ametuandalia mpango ambao ungetuwezesha kumiliki uchumi wetu: kuishi ktk vijiji vya ujamaa, kuwa na duka letu la kaya, kuwa na chama cha ushirika, vyote tuliviua kwa uzembe na kupenda anasa, utaona how strong vile vilivyo survive, i.e KNCU, mbinga,,bkb etc. Tukisahihisha haya tutaendelea, ciao.

 

[George Maige Nhigula Jr.]

THERE is a serious misconception among earth sciences’ experts (geologists, geophysicists, mining engineers etc) as well as policy-makers especially in our countries, i.e. Third World countries primarily in Africa — Tanzania being a case in point — that green-field exploration for hard-rock minerals is costly and risky.

It is indeed true that hydrocarbon (oil & gas) exploration can yield tremendous results, with huge profits earned upon exploitation of the discovered reserves. But, the same is today equally true of hard-rock minerals exploration.

Most minerals existing in Tanzania and their locations, including Uranium, are well known to specialists including our own experts in Tanzania {not only the Mkuju River deposits. In fact, I recommend the govt. to send our experts to areas with similar geology to the one at Mkuju, in Southern Tanzania (Songea and Namtumbo areas), in Central Tanzania (Dodoma, Manyoni & Mbuga areas) as well as to the Minjingu Phosphates in southwest Arusha to look for more of this mineral since Uranium may also be found in phosphates}.

What we are supposed to do in this case is to contract foreign exploration and mining companies to explore and mine the minerals while we retain full (100 per cent) equity ownership of the deposits. The foreign companies should work under strict terms of reference spelled out by Tanzanian experts through their government.

This is exactly what the Middle East and other oil-and-gas producing countries are doing while retaining 100 per cent ownership of their mineral assets.Norway — a European Union country and one of the most affluent free-market economies in the world — also restricts majority ownership of its huge oil-and-gas assets to its local companies STATOIL and NORKS HYDRO.

The same is being done by the oil-rich Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iran and Iraq. We see the same trend in Latin America (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil et al).Russia has passed legislation effectively banning majority ownership by foreigners of what it deems strategic assets, be it in the mineral sector, in oil-and-gas, in telecommunications, in the nuclear sphere, in Space, High-Tech industries, et al…

Russia fundamentally changed its law on natural resources, restricted — and in some cases, even banned Production Sharing Agreements which used to be the model contracts for its oil-and-gas exploration and production agreements in the 1990s. It also made similar approaches to exploration and exploitation of its hard-rock minerals (ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals as well as precious stones, non-metal hard minerals like coal, etc), making it impossible for foreign companies to ever again own majority equity in its natural resources and strategic assets.

Brazen political decisions were taken despite criticism from foreign companies and their host countries that Russia is playing a rough game by limiting foreign majority equity ownership in its natural resources, including minerals.

But, in the end, Russia proved to be right since it was able to recoup and recover its mineral assets scooped earlier by foreign companies, some craftily, some by mere shrewdness in collusion with crafty Russian state officials and wheeler-dealers who later on went to become the highly despised Russian Oligarchs now numbering 114!

Russia decided to retain majority equity stakes for the State through its firms (GAZPROM, ROSNEFT, ALROSA, GAZPROMNEFT, etc) as well as Russian-registered and Russian-owned private companies (RUSAL, INTERROS, POLYUS GOLD, NORILSK NICKEL, METALLOINVEST, NOVOLIPETSK STEEL, MAGNITOGORSK IRON & STEEL WORKS LUKOIL, NOVATEK, BASIC ELEMENT, URALKALI, SEVERSTAL, EVRAZ etc) which pay their huge taxes in Russia thus allowing the nation to earn huge income in foreign exchange.

This, in turn, enabled the government to re-distribute and spread wealth among its citizens through self-financing of its national budget, increasing pensions and other social benefits (cheap education, transport and medical services) as well as creating a sovereign wealth fund (which, in February 2008, was divided into the Reserve Fund and the National Welfare Fund).

This pretty well helped Russia successfully navigate this turbulent period of the global economic and financial crisis without going begging for alms from foreign nations and the international financial system contrary to what we saw, and are still seeing, in Greece, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and other countries of the European Union.

While retaining majority equity ownership (not less than 51 per cent) of our mineral resources in Tanzania, we can then offer a minority share to a strategic investor/s who will be subject to finance the exploration and exploitation/mining of the deposits, offer the necessary technical, technological, financial and managerial expertise and skills needed to effectively exploit/mine the deposits — including training local experts.

The expenditure for such exploration is peanuts (some few millions to several tens of millions of US dollars). But, the outcome of this expenditure, call it risk, is minuscule compared to the benefits earned as the Mkuju River uranium project has shown.

Mantra Resources might have spent a maximum of US$10 million or less (or to quote unsubstantiated remarks: up to $30 million). But, it is selling the asset for over US$1 billion, thus reaping a profit of over 10,000 per cent! This a return of investments for a period of a mere 1-3 years of working to appraise the Uranium deposits at Mkuju!

What other proof of affordable risk does our Govt. need to convince all of you that it is worth investing ourselves in exploration of our vital and strategic mineral deposits like Uranium, Oil, Gas, Gold, Nickel, Diamonds, Tanzanite and own them 100 per cent and only offer minority states to swap for financial investments and management of these resources?

Tanzania is now ready to throw away Tsh94 billion (US$ 64 million) on a bogus contract in the Richmond/Dowans-Tanesco saga which has nevertheless left the country with no electricity, but not ready to spend a tenth or fifteenth part of that sum (about US$6-10 million) on exploration and appraisal of such assets like the Mkuju River Uranium — and, in return, own an asset worth over US$1 billion, with the potential to tap into even much huger reserves as we continually appraise the asset itself or similar ones existing in Tanzania!

This is the paradox of how a Tanzanian, an African, thinks! That is why, in Russia (and elsewhere, too), there is a very unpleasant perception of an African. And, this crops up whenever Russians comment about Africans especially when they see our leaders on TV and the press who come here on begging visits.

They call them: “these people/leaders from ‘exotic’ countries… Exotic not only because they come from countries with simba, fisi, tembo, tumbili and vifaru, but exotic in their way of thinking.

They (the Russians) argue that these people (African leaders) always come here to beg for assistance, sometimes even petty assistance, in return giving their mineral and other assets almost for free… Russians would never allow such a thing to happen with their Uranium or whatever mineral assets the way we are now ceding: cheaply, even almost freely, in fact, throwing away our rights over the Mkuju River uranium deposits…

The same thing our old chiefs did, exchanging/throwing away our territories including minerals and slaves for bangili, vioo, hereni, mikufu, etc. This led to the colonization and enslavement of Africa!

Just imagine, our Mkuju River Uranium deposits were taken from us. I don’t know how much Mantra Resources paid the Tanzanian Govt. to acquire the prospecting, and probably, mining licenses there, but I think it could hardly have been more than US$200,000. Quite possibly, Mantra Resources never even paid any Signature Bonus since it was not demanded from them by our Govt.!

Then the company spent a few hundred thousand or a million US dollars – finally selling the asset for over US$1 billion US$!

And the Tanzania Govt. and its people don’t own anything in the mine… Nor do they have rights to determine what those assets could do to benefit them in, say, nuclear power generation or going high-tech!

What other explanation do you need here to refute that we are indeed ‘exotic?’ How can we forfeit such opportunities to make ourselves rich, create huge wealth and tap abundant capital ourselves, instead of going around begging for alms like budget support peanuts?

Just compare what we are now begging for with what we have forfeited in the Mkuju River Uranium deposits — as well as earlier on in the gold assets stupidly handed over cheaply, even almost freely, to Barrick Gold, shares of which were then floated in London, earning the company and its shareholders (including the crafty silent Tanzanian millionaires) billions of US dollars with nothing going to the majority of the poor Tanzanians, including me and you, who are the true and real owners of the assets..!

Shaaban Nzori,
Moscow, Russia.

Source Business Times ( Editorial)

 

[EDMUND MWESIGWA]

. The main speakers will be;
Prof. ISSA SHIVJI (UDSM) “Why Tanzania still poor 50 years of independence”
Hon. SAMWEL SITTA (MP) “Leadership ethics in managing national resources”
PROF. SULEIMAN CHAMBO (MUCCoBS) “The role of cooperative in national development”
Dr. HARRISON MWAIKYEMBE (Deputy Minister) “The role of youth in Tanzania Economy”
Mr. MANGASIN (LECTURER MUCCoBS)” Rural - urban disparities in

 

[DEO G]

This should give us some solutions to overcome this poverty. i wanna join ideas from a debate at muccobs and jamii forum members.
Your contribution is of the essence

 

[DEO G]

MH. Sitta akiri kwamba yeye anafuata nyayo za Mwl. J.K Nyerere, na ataweka juhudi kuhakikisha wanakirudisha chama cha ccm kwenye mstari