Tanzania’s mine closure committee evaluates Buckreef Gold rehabilitation strategy

Katoro, Geita. Tanzania’s National Mine Closure Committee has conducted a technical review of the decommissioning and rehabilitation blueprint for the Buckreef Gold Mine in the Geita Region, reinforcing state oversight on environmental restoration and post-mining community safety.

The session, held in Katoro, forms a mandatory regulatory step designed to scrutinise the mine’s long-term closure strategy prior to formal approval.

The review ensures that when the asset eventually reaches the end of its commercial lifespan, decommissioning operations will strictly adhere to the Mining Act (Cap. 123) and the Mining (Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Protection) Regulations of 2010.

Addressing delegates at the meeting, the Chairman of the National Mine Closure Committee, Hamisi Kamando, underscored that all large- and medium-scale mining operations in Tanzania bear a statutory obligation to draft comprehensive closure plans.

These documents must be submitted to the Chief Inspector of Mines for rigorous technical assessment before securing final endorsement from the committee.

Mr Kamando cited Regulation 206 of the 2010 Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Protection Regulations, noting that mine operators are legally bound to establish these frameworks early in the operational lifecycle to guarantee an orderly, compliant transition once extraction ceases.

He was careful to clarify that the committee’s mandate is not to force the premature shutdown of active mines before their mineral reserves are exhausted.

Rather, the body exists to evaluate closure blueprints well in advance, ensuring that eventual decommissioning prioritises public safety and restores degraded land to a stable, environmentally sound condition.

In response, the General Manager of Buckreef Gold Mine, Isaac Busanseba, assured the regulatory delegation that the mine’s leadership remains firmly committed to upholding national health, safety, and environmental standards across its daily operations.

Mr Busanseba stated that the company will integrate all directives and recommendations issued by the committee to ensure its closure plan fully satisfies statutory thresholds.

The multi-sectoral review brought together key representatives from across the government apparatus, including officials from the Vice President’s Office, the Ministry of Minerals, the Ministry of Water, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, and the National Planning Commission, alongside other relevant regulatory agencies.

Located within the prolific Lake Victoria Goldfields in north-western Tanzania, the Buckreef Gold Project operates as a joint venture between the state-owned State Mining Corporation (STAMICO) and TRX Gold Corporation.

As Tanzania continues to expand its extractive sector—which remains a cornerstone of the national economy and foreign exchange earnings—authorities have increasingly tightened regulatory enforcement around mine rehabilitation.

Historically, abandoned or poorly rehabilitated mine sites across sub-Saharan Africa have left behind severe environmental liabilities, including acid mine drainage and unstable tailings dams, placing significant financial burdens on host governments.

By enforcing early, multi-ministerial reviews of mine closure plans alongside financial assurance mechanisms such as rehabilitation bonds, the Tanzanian government aims to ensure that mining companies internalise the full environmental cost of extraction long before the final ounce of gold is poured.