Barrick Gold hands over airport terminal built after closure of Buzwagi mine
What you need to know:
- The construction cost of the Sh883 million airport terminal was shared by both Barrick (70 percent) and the Tanzania Airport Authority (30 percent
Kahama. Barrick Gold Corporation yesterday handed over a new airport terminal to the Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA) as the firm seeks to leave a legacy following the closure of Buzwagi gold mine.
“The role of a sustainable mining company is not only to create value for stakeholders today but to ensure it leaves behind a positive legacy that will continue to serve local communities long after mining is complete,” said Barrick president and chief executive officer, Dr Mark Bristow, who was speaking at the official handover ceremony.
The ceremony marks the conclusion of an eight-month partnership between Barrick and TAA at a total cost of $384,000.
The cost was shared 70 percent ($268,000) by Barrick and 30 percent ($116,000) by TAA – and will pave the way for scheduled airline service in and out of Kahama.
The new terminal can handle more than 200 passengers at a time, compared to only 25 passengers previously, and is expected to be a catalyst for economic growth in the region, according to Dr Bristow.
The building includes an arrival and departure terminal, VIP lounge and meeting room, coffee and gift shop, as well as amenities for people with disabilities.
The Buzwagi gold mine was an economic powerhouse for Shinyanga region for nearly 15 years. At its peak, Buzwagi was the second largest operating mine in Tanzania and employed more than 3,000 people. Its operational life came to an end in July 2021 and the mine was officially closed in July 2022. Since then, Barrick has been attending to Buzwagi’s environmental rehabilitation while also advancing its plans to transform the closed mine into a Special Economic Zone.
A feasibility study commissioned in 2021 showed that the creation of the Special Economic Zone had the potential to replace the mine as the region’s economic driver and could sustainably create 3,000 jobs annually, generate more than $150,000 each year from service levies for the local municipality and deliver approximately $4.5 million in employment taxes a year.
