ACCELERATING INDUSTRIALIZATION

THROUGH MINERAL BENEFICIATION

AND VALUE ADDITION

Prof. Mkumbukwa Madundo A. Mtambo

Director General,
Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organization
(TIRDO)

Tanzania Mineral and Mining Investment Conference 2020:

Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre;
22nd -23rd February, 2020
 CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION

2. MINERALS BENEFICIATION AND VALUE ADDITION

CONCEPT

3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

4. EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES

5. CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

6. CONCLUSION

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020

 INTRODUCTION
Minerals play key roles in human development

• Stone age (2.6 Mil years

BC)

• Bronze Age (3000-1200BC)

• Iron age (up to 550BC)

INTRODUCTION

• Tungsten
• Copper

• COAL AND IRON

 INTRODUCTION
 Tanzania has vast
amount of minerals
that are required as
raw materials by
many industries for
manufacturing of
varieties of
industrial goods.

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020

 INTRODUCTION
• However, most are
exported raw (Semi
processed)

• In return they are

processed and the final
products brought back

• proper utilization
through beneficiation
and value addition can
accelerate industrial
and economic
development of
Tanzania
MINERALS BENEFICIATION AND VALUE
ADDITION CONCEPT
 Minerals beneficiation and value addition is
the treatment of raw minerals such as ore
to improve the physical or chemical
properties for further processing.

 The process transforms the mineral, or a

combination of minerals, into a higher-
value product, which can either be
consumed locally or exported.
TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020
 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
 multiplier effect created by a broader scope of manufacturing and industry capacity.

 Raw materials for industrial processes

 Increased value of raw materials (more than 50%) (Raw Graphite USD 1,500/t – Graphene USD 100,000/t)

 Attract investment (smelting, refinery, cutting and polishing) and technology transfer (Skills
development)
 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

 Improvement of other industries (service-

Banking, food processing, construction etc)

Contribute to GDP (Taxes, reduced importation of

value added products, export of value added products)

Employment: (Janpur 100 industries)

Availability of by-products
 such as sulphuric acid, gypsum, and slags
(obtained by smelting of copper concentrates).
 EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES…
Minerals Type(s) Beneficiation End Use Product(s)
Process(s)
Gold and Silver Smelting and Gold and silver for jewelries,
refining and electronics, medals, and finance
making jewelries. and investment.
Copper Ore concentration, Refined copper, and copper
smelting and cathodes for making copper
refining. wires, tubes and sheets.
Diamonds and Cutting and Cut and polished diamonds
gemstones polishing, jewelries and gems for the jewelries
making industry.

Iron ore, coal, Iron and steel Iron and steel products for
limestone, making construction and
manganese, engineering purposes.
chromium.

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020

 EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES…
Minerals Beneficiation End Use Product(s)
Type(s) Opportunity
Limestone, Beneficiation of Cement and lime for
gypsum, clay, limestone to construction.
pozzolana. produce cement Lime for industrial and
and lime agricultural use.

Nickel, Smelting and Refined metals alloys for

Niobium, refining steelmaking.
chromium, and
tin,
Coal Beneficiation of Coal briquettes, metallurgical
coal for coke.
domestic and
industrial use
Kaolin, Kaolin Purified kaolin for industrial use
purification for (ceramics, paint, plastics, rubber,
industrial and ink, and paper manufacturing).
medical
applications.
TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020
 EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES…
Minerals Type(s) Beneficiation End Use Product(s)
Opportunity

Rocks and stones Cutting and polishing Dimensional stones

(granite, marbles and for production of for construction,
quartzite) Dimension. monuments, paving,
furniture, and
decoration.
 
Sand Sand beneficiation Beneficiated sand for
and sizing. glass making, and
construction

Clay Manufacturing of clay Bricks, roof tiles, wall

and ceramics tiles, sanitary-wares,
producs. table-wares,
abrasives and
refractories.

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020

 EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES…
Minerals Type(s) Beneficiation End Use Product(s)
Opportunity

Trona, Soda Ash Natural soda

ash Soda ash chemical for
Brine purification glassmaking, soap
making, water
purification, and
industrial chemicals .
Heavy Mineral Sand Heavy mineral sand Titanium, zirconium,
beneficiation. and rare earth
elements. 

Phosphate Beneficiation . Fertilizers,

detergents, and
animal feedstock’s.

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020

 OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Tin Titanium

Tantalum

Tungsten
 CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD
o Lack of necessary technical skills and knowledge:
Minerals beneficiation and value addition require specialized skills which is not readily
available in the country. For example, the process by which rough stones are
transformed into polished gems and jewellery requires a greater degree of
craftsmanship and specialization.

Capacity building in specialized skills: Identify gaps; identify local capacity;

use local institutions and foreign companies for knowledge transfer

o Limited research and development initiatives,

There is limited research and development initiatives, aimed at unlocking the intrinsic
value of minerals through finding new products and/or technologies in support of
local beneficiation. In addition, Techno-economic surveys are lacking to
establish the values of the resources.

The need to invest on R&D; Utilize local R&D (TIRDO, UDSM, GST etc) to
conduct techno-economic surveys and exploration of new mineral reserves;
Industrial technology information forecasting
 CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD
o Infrastructure (Roads; energy; water)
Beneficiation activities requires the availability of infrastructural and consumes
higher energy.

Investment on roads, energy (Stigler’s Gorge), water etc. Communication between

government organs

o Access to capital for investing.

Some of the mineral beneficiation and value addition activities such as smelting and
refining require high investment which can be difficult to obtain.
Encouraging local and FDI; incentives and loans
o Access of markets for locally beneficiated products.
Sometimes it is difficult to access the market of the locally beneficiated products due
to competition in the international market.

Encouraging joint ventures with foreign investors; promote fair business with
importers
 CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD
o Environmental issues
Beneficiation activities can have negative impacts to the environment which required
costly mitigation measures.

promote environmentally-friendly technologies

o Poor linkages between the government organs

Beneficiation and value addition is a multi-stakeholder undertakings, involving different
Government organs, which sometimes can be difficult to manage (Eg. Ministry of
Minerals, Ministry of Industries and Trade, Ministry of Energy, Communication,
Transport, Water).

Improve linkages and sharing of information during execution of major projects

 CONCLUSION
• Mineral beneficiation and value addition is
key to accelerating industrial development
in Tanzania
• There is the need to create conducive
environment for investment in mineral
beneficiation and value addition projects
• Capacity building to individuals and R&D
institutions may help to fast-track
industrialization
 THANK YOU

TANZANIA MINERAL AND MINING INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 2020