DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzania has designated 65 new mining areas exclusively for young investors and secured dedicated financing through local lenders, as the government moves to formalize small-scale mining and tackle youth unemployment.
The Tanzania Mining Commission announced the initiative on Tuesday, stating that the move is part of the 2026/2027 fiscal strategy to transition young people from “artisanal observers” to “active participants” in the country’s mineral-rich landscape.
The zones are spread across ten regions, including the gold-rich Geita and gemstone-heavy Manyara districts.
To solve the perennial hurdle of capital, the government has partnered with CRDB Bank to provide specialized credit facilities for these youth groups.
“We are not just giving them land; we are giving them the means to work it,” said Hamisi Kamando of the Mining Commission.
Tanzania, Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer, has increasingly looked to its mineral sector to drive GDP growth, which is forecast at 6.3% for the coming year. By earmarking areas for the 18–45 age bracket, who already hold 71% of all small-scale licenses, President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration hopes to boost domestic revenue, which is expected to cover over 74% of the proposed 62.3 trillion TZS national budget.
