Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Mining company Acacia agreed Friday to pay more royalties to Tanzania’s government as it seeks an end to a dispute over alleged underreporting of production and profits. President John Magufuli accused the London-listed company, whose largest shareholder is Canadian Barrick Gold, of “theft” after a …
Read More »Mercury: Slow killer in Uganda’s gold mines
Mercury: Slow killer in Uganda’s gold mines Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Inside one of the dozens of gold camps that dot the foothills and valleys of Mubende in central Uganda, the hustle and bustle is astounding. “Saigon City” nestled in the valley of Kayonza; Kitumbi Sub-County is one such camp. …
Read More »Editor of suspended Tanzania paper ‘threatened’
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The editor-in-chief of a Tanzanian newspaper suspended last week after linking two former presidents to controversial mining contracts said he has since faced threatening anonymous phone calls. Tanzania’s information ministry on Thursday imposed a two-year suspension on the Mawio weekly, a frequent critic of the …
Read More »Tanzanian newspaper suspended for pointing finger at ex-presidents
Tanzanian newspaper suspended for pointing finger at Mkapa, Kikwete Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian weekly, Mawio, has been ordered to suspend publication for two years after pointing the finger at two former presidents in connection with huge revenue losses, the country’s interior ministry said Friday. The weekly, regularly critical of …
Read More »Talks set with Magufuli to settle Tanzania gold fraud dispute
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | Tanzania has agreed to negotiations with Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold which it accuses of operating illegally and evading taxes, a government statement said Wednesday. Barrick is the majority shareholder in London-listed Acacia Mining which a presidential commission report said this week …
Read More »Tanzania says 19 years of mining fraud cost 75 billion euros
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Fraud in the mining sector since 1998 has cost Tanzania 75 billion euros ($84 billion), an investigating commission said Monday, blaming foreign companies failing to declare revenues. The conclusions of the study, conducted by Tanzanian economists and legal experts and seen by AFP, were approved …
Read More »Tanzania President Magufuli sacks Mines Minister
Tanzania minister sacked: Wednesday’s report found that companies exporting raw mineral sands understated the nature and quantity of precious metals in their containers and so avoided paying taxes Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | President John Magufuli fired Tanzania’s mines minister on Wednesday after a government report found minerals exports …
Read More »Sierra Leone pastor unearths massive 706-carat diamond
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | A pastor working in the mines of eastern Sierra Leone has unearthed a 706-carat diamond, the government said Thursday, as experts said the stone could rank as the 10th largest ever found. The huge diamond was discovered by Emmanuel Momoh, one of thousands of …
Read More »Uganda gold refinery raises alarm over conflict minerals
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | The inauguration of Uganda’s first gold refinery sparked concern Wednesday over the possibility of dirty minerals from regional conflict zones making their way into the country. Transparency International’s Peter Wandera told AFP the country’s failure to regulate the mineral sector meant there were “high chances” …
Read More »Tycoon hosts big, fat $75 million Indian wedding amid cash crunch
Bangalore, India | AFP | A controversial Indian mining tycoon has taken over a royal palace and flown in Brazilian dancers at a reported cost of $75 million to celebrate his daughter’s wedding on Wednesday, as the country reels from a cash crisis. Up to 50,000 people are expected at …
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