Parliament committee hails Barrick North Mara Mine performance

By The Citizen Reporter

Tarime. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and Minerals has urged for improvements to the mining industry so that it can benefit citizens and the nation as a whole.

The committee made the comment during a visit to the North Mara gold mine in Tarime district yesterday.

It praised the mining firm for its productive and massive investment and for initiating and facilitating social projects through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, including continually forging good relations with the community living around the mine.

Earlier, members of the Committee, whose visit was led by its chairman, David Mathayo David, got explanations about the operations of the mine before visiting various places.

The committee visited the sewage area, the gold refinery and some social projects implemented through social responsibility (CSR) funds in the villages surrounding the North Mara mine.

Some of the projects include Matongo Secondary School, the Nyangoto Water Project, and the agri-business project run by youths in Matongo Village.

Speaking on behalf of the committee after winding up its visit, Dr Mathayo said: “In a short period, you have managed to change the environment of this mine. You protect the environment well, the MPs are happy, and on their behalf, I congratulate you. Keep on being good environmental protectors for the safety of our citizens.”

The Committee also congratulated Barrick on continuing to be a role model in paying various taxes to the government and providing billions of shillings to fund the implementation of social projects through its CSR programme.

“Among the top business firms, you [Barrick] take the lead in paying taxes and giving dividends to the government,” Mathayo said in part of his speech to conclude their visit.

The committee also expressed its satisfaction with the way the Barrick Gold Company has been implementing the ‘Local Content’ Law and thus enabling many Tanzanians, including indigenous people living near its mines, to benefit from its investment through business and employment, among other things.

Speaking during the visit, the Deputy Minister for Minerals, Mr Steven Kiruswa, called on the stakeholders in the mining sector to comply with the laws and regulations set by the government, including the regulations on the distribution of Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and the involvement of Tanzanians in the activities of the Local content mining chain.

The manager of Barrick in Tanzania, Mr Melkiory Ngido, thanked the committee members for visiting the mine and promised that the opinions and advice they gave would be worked upon.

“As Barrick, we will always ensure that we conduct our activities in accordance with the laws and regulations set by the government,” he emphasised.

Earlier, when giving an explanation about the company’s activities, Mr Ngido said Barrick, through its North Mara and Bulyanhulu mines, has invested over Sh6 trillion in Tanzania, and that out of that amount, the government has received Sh3 trillion in taxes and dividends since 2019 when it was handed over and started operating the mines in partnership with the government of Tanzania through the Twiga Minerals Corporation.