Building to House Tanzanite Dealers Underway

Dodoma — Government in collaboration with the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) plan to put up a building in Arusha City to house all transactions related to Tanzanite minerals.

The modern structure, according to the Deputy Energy and Minerals minister, Dr Medard Kalemani, is meant to ensure that Tanzanite dealers will have the precious stones in a secure place.

He said this when responding to Simanjiro lawmaker, Mr James Millya (Chadema) who wanted to know government's plan to help Tanzanite traders in terms of providing them with loans and a reliable market.

Mr Millya said that Tanzanite business people from other countries such as India and Kenya were getting full support from their governments, saying the move could be the reason why some people think that the mineral was being produced in such countries.

"What's the government plan to help Tanzanite dealers to get loans so that they can be in a position to compete with other traders from outside the country?" Mr Millya asked. Dr Kalemani told parliamentarians that the government has been assisting local dealers by creating a favourable environment to ensure their efforts pay dividends.

"The government through the Ministry of Energy and Minerals assists brokers and dealers get licences and necessary support," he said. "We have also been organizing Arusha Gem Fair (AGF) annually to connect local dealers with international traders.

This is an opportunity to promote the business." The minister also said that the government has been supporting small-scale miners and dealers by subsidizing them.

"In 2015/2016 financial year, for example, the government issued a subsidy to small-scale miners, service providers at the mining sites and traders amounting to 7.2bn/-," he explained.