NGARA District Commissioner (DC), Colonel Mathias Kahabi, has warned few greedy people who buy land at cheap price from citizens and later claim millions of shillings as compensation from mining companies.
Equally, he appealed to the companies to ensure that they conduct their business in transparent manner and cooperate with authorities.
He issued the warning recently after visiting Bugarama Ward, where he dissolved the Bugarama Village Land Committee for allegedly selling village land at Nyakuguma Hill to an individual locally known as ‘Tegesha’, without following laid down procedures. He said that is totally unacceptable.
Col Kahabi, however, emphasised that the government was committed to ensure that the strategic Kabanga Nickel project operated by Tembo Nickel progresses as planned for the benefit of the nation.
“Tanzania is committed to become a significant producer of responsible and sustainable metals to supply the increasing global demand to facilitate the move to a low carbon economy,” he said.
Ngara district is rich with mineral resources, including Nickel, Tungsten, Tin, Manganese and Copper.
The Relocation Consultant Lead for Tembo Nickel, Mr Basil Shio, explained that they have been in the field for two months, while work had recorded 40 per cent of the survey process.
“We have been in the field for two months and the work has recorded 40 per cent of the survey process. We have already reached about 549 people to be affected by the compensation,” he said.
On July 8 this year Tembo Nickel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ngara District Council for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) model for 2022.
“Through a participatory process the two parties entered a partnership for collaboration which will cover projects in six wards namely Bugarama, Bukiriro, Muganza, Rulenge, Mbuba and Keza, in Ngara District.
The areas of focus will be education and health while the support covers a total of 11 projects. Seven projects are under the education sector to improve the school’s infrastructures including classrooms, staff offices and school desks.
Under the health sector, there are three projects that aim to improve health facilities’ infrastructures, medical equipment and medical supplies,” he said.
The signing of the long awaited Kabanga Nickel mining agreement between LZ Nickel Limited and the Tanzania government on January 19, 2021, was witnessed by the late President John Magufuli who assured investors that Tanzania is politically stable and invited them to exploit the abundant resources available in the country.
LZ Nickel Limited is a United Kingdom (UK) mining company with investment capital in Tanzania amounting 5.4 billion US dollars offering employment to 227,000 Tanzanians while the Republic of China had investments amounting 5 billion US dollars offering employment to 315,000 Tanzanians.
LZ Nickel will also construct a nickel smelter in Kahama District, Shinyanga Region.
Nickel is a key electric car battery material, and Kabanga in Tanzania’s northwest is the world’s largest development-ready, high-grade nickel sulfide deposit, according to Kabanga Nickel. It is estimated to contain more than 1.52 million tonnes of nickel.
Kabanga Nickel said Tembo would produce Class I nickel and cobalt products, and LME Grade A copper cathode. The mine is estimated to contain more than 100,000 tonnes of cobalt- also used in batteries.
