Mining reforms target safer blasting, better surveys for small-scale miners

BLASTING explosives are not intended solely for security purposes; they also play an important role in facilitating mining operations, particularly for artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs).

When properly regulated, supplied and used, explosives can help miners break mineralbearing rocks more efficiently and improve productivity. Mzinga Corporation is seeking to support this process by making explosives available to small-scale miners at affordable costs while encouraging more productive and organised mining practices.

The corporation says limited access to modern mining technologies, including appropriate blasting explosives, can contribute to a nomadic approach to mining, where miners continually move from one location to another in search of easier deposits.

According to the corporation, some miners either lack access to explosives or obtain them at high prices through middlemen. Limited awareness of the procedures governing their purchase, transportation, storage and use is among the factors contributing to the problem. Public education and training are therefore considered important in helping miners understand how the substances can be accessed and used safely and legally. However, financial capacity alone does not give everyone the right to obtain explosives.

Mzinga Corporation has emphasised that people seeking to deal with the substances must first undergo specialised short-course training through the Ministry of Minerals. The training covers the requirements for purchasing, transporting, storing and using explosives. It also provides participants with knowledge needed to obtain relevant permits and licences, including those required for purchasing and transporting the substances, as well as a blasting certificate.

Mzinga Corporation Marketing Officer Ibrahim Liembe explained this during the recently concluded Mwanza East Africa Trade Fair (MEATF), where the corporation was promoting awareness of the proper handling and use of mining explosives.

We therefore encourage the miners to be trained for productive mining. Mzinga is in place to serve the community like any other non-profit public institution,” he said.

Training is particularly important because explosives must be handled carefully throughout their entire journey, from transportation to storage and eventual use. Liembe explained that miners and other people involved in handling the substances need to understand how packages containing explosives and fuses should be transported to prevent accidental explosions that could cause serious damage to surrounding communities.

One important safety requirement is that fuses must be separated from explosives during both transportation and storage. The separation is intended to reduce the risk of an accidental incident turning into a much more serious event. There are also specific requirements concerning vehicles transporting explosives. Such vehicles should travel only during daylight hours. As darkness approaches, the driver is required to stop at a nearby police station for safety purposes.

“Anyone dealing with these substances, in any way, should have a thorough understanding of how to protect him/herself and the surrounding community,” Liembe said.

He added that explosives are manufactured for particular environments and purposes. Where blasting takes place near human settlements, for example, appropriate substances must be used to minimise noise and prevent materials from being thrown into surrounding areas and causing injury or property damage.

These requirements, he noted, represent only some of the important considerations, with more detailed safety procedures covered during the specialised training. Explosives, he further explained, can be used in mining different categories of minerals, including metallic, construction and industrial minerals.

Their application, however, must always be guided by the appropriate technical and safety requirements. While safe and appropriate blasting can improve mining operations, access to reliable geological information is equally important.

The Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST) is encouraging artisanal and smallscale miners to take advantage of opportunities emerging from the government’s continuing geological surveys. GST Principal Technician Gidion Nshange said the government has made substantial progress in identifying areas with potential mineral deposits.

According to him, lowresolution geophysical surveys have been completed at 100 per cent, geology at 98 per cent, while high-resolution geophysical surveys stand at 16 per cent and geochemical surveys at 10 per cent. Low-resolution geophysical surveys are generally used during the early stages of exploration to identify areas that may have potential for mineral deposits.

High-resolution geophysical surveys provide more detailed information and support the exploration and evaluation of mineral resources deeper underground. Geological surveys, meanwhile, involve specialists examining the land and rocks to identify areas with potential mineralisation.

Geochemical surveys analyse the chemical composition of rocks, soils and other geological materials to determine the presence and characteristics of minerals. Nshange explained that geochemical sampling is often conducted in water streams and other areas where geological materials from higher ground accumulate. Samples are collected and analysed to help identify the minerals present.

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The government is now intensifying high-resolution surveys, with a target of increasing coverage from the current 16 per cent to at least 50 per cent by 2030. Nshange said the target is achievable because the government has introduced measures to increase funding for geological surveying. From the current financial year, 10 per cent of all levies collected from the mining sector is being directed towards surveying activities.

The funding is expected to support the use of technologies such as drones and helicopters, particularly in areas where preliminary findings have already identified potential deposits, including metallic minerals. The funds are channelled directly into the Survey Fund. Nshange said the increased resources provide confidence that the government will achieve its surveying target and strengthen the mining value chain.

The Ministry of Minerals’ 2026/27 budget speech also identifies investment in highresolution geological surveys as one of the sector’s priorities. The priorities include strengthening levy collection and increasing the mining sector’s contribution to national income.

Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde said GST was also finalising arrangements for the availability of helicopters to support surveys in different parts of Tanzania. At the time of the budget presentation to Parliament in April this year, GST was in discussions with the successful bidder before entering into a purchasing contract.

The information generated through these surveys is expected to improve understanding of Tanzania’s geology, attract investment, strengthen the investment environment and create stronger connections between mining and other sectors, including industry, agriculture, construction and finance.

The government has also identified the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining as part of the priorities implemented during the previous financial year. Presenting the performance recorded during the first 100 days of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s second term in February this year, Mavunde said Tanzania’s mining sector was gaining momentum through reforms designed to increase revenue collection, strengthen mineral governance and expand value addition across the country.

He reported that between November 2025 and January 25, 2026, the Ministry of Minerals collected 311.8 billion shillings, exceeding its target by 111 per cent. The ministry had projected collections of 280.6 billion shillings for the period.

Mavunde attributed the improved performance to stronger enforcement of mining regulations, tighter oversight, improved mineral licensing systems, strengthened trade controls and intensified measures against smuggling.

According to the minister, these reforms have helped reduce revenue leakages and improve compliance throughout the mining value chain, covering exploration, production, trade and exports. Taken together, the expansion of geological knowledge, improved access to appropriate mining technologies, mandatory training in explosive handling and continuing sector reforms point towards a more organised mining environment.

For artisanal and small-scale miners, the message is clear: opportunity is increasingly being accompanied by greater emphasis on knowledge, technology, safety and compliance. With better geological information and properly trained miners using appropriate technologies, Tanzania’s mineral resources can continue supporting productivity, investment, government revenue and broader economic linkages.

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