Tanzania has launched its first ever modern copper processing plant as the country seeks to join the league of major copper exporters in Africa.
The plant, inaugurated on Wednesday by prime minister Kassim Majaliwa in Chunya district in the Mbeya region, is operated by Mineral Access Systems Tanzania (Mast).
"This is a major step toward transforming Tanzania from a raw mineral exporter into an industrial nation capable of manufacturing high-value products from its mineral wealth," the minerals ministry said.
The facility aims to process low-grade copper ore containing between 0.5pc and 2pc copper, extracted from the Mbugani area in Chunya, into copper concentrate with up to 75pc purity, using leaching and cementation technology.
The plant can process 31,200 t/month of copper ore, 27,200t of which are sourced from Mast's own mine and 4,000t purchased from small-scale mining firms nationwide for sustainable output, Mast director Godfrey Kente said.
Mast plans to expand its operations in Tanzania by building three additional copper processing plants in the Manyara, Ruvuma and Dodoma regions, where copper reserves have also been discovered, Kente said.
Tanzania has identified various areas with potential for copper extraction, but has focused primarily on gold production to date. The country is now turning its focus to copper as a strategic resource in response to sustained high copper prices and rising global demand for the red metal.
Tanzania has attracted several copper mining companies, including Australia-based Resource Mining, which has acquired the Mpanda and Mbozi copper-gold projects in western Tanzania.
