Benchmarking ASM Operations in the CM Subsector: The Case of Tanzania

Nothing has been published about ASM nickel extraction in Tanzania. ASM operations within the Critical Minerals (CM) subsector are currently in a nascent stage in Tanzania, but are expected to become more common as demand for CM increases. Involvement of ASM in the subsector is crucial bearing in mind that ASM operate where LSM operations may not be economical. Recent Tanzanian data which shows that ASM in the gold sub-sector contributes 40% of gold supply (see Kinyondo 2024) supports this claim that ASM can be an important component of mining operations. This study seeks to improve the understanding of the subsector amongst key stakeholders by exploring ongoing ASM operations and identifying operational challenges (knowledge, skills, capital, technological gaps etc.) with the view to enhancing the subsector. This is important since the demand of CM for energy transition by far outpaces the corresponding supply.

The key aims and objectives of the project are to ‘map’ (literally and figuratively) ASM value chains for CM, starting with fundamental questions of ‘what’ (nickel ore), ‘where’ (locations of mine sites etc), ‘who’ (men/women, financers, intermediaries, refineries, etc), ‘when’ (how long has extraction taken place, how has it changed over time, forecasts for expansion or contraction) and ‘how’ (technologies, forms of value addition etc).

This will be an exploratory study, and mostly qualitative in nature, employing in-depth interviews, field observations and official government documents. The hypothesis is that ASM nickel extraction is the start of a broader expansion of ASM into CM exploitation, and as such can provide useful guidance for policy-makers regarding support for, and governance of, ASM extraction of CM.

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