| Name | Arthur Mwakapugi |  |
| Surname | Mwakapugi | |
| First Names | Arthur | |
| Alternate Name | ||
| Title | Mr | |
| Country of Birth | Tanzania |
| Positions | |||
| From | To | Organisation | Position |
| 2006 | Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources | Permanent Secretary | |
| Date of Birth | |
| Political Affiliation | |
| Telephone | |
| Address | |
| Notes | Mwakapugi: Mining companies given fair treatment In an attempt to attract more mining investors into the country, the government has been trying to give fair treatment to companies that undertake the ventures, it has been revealed. Addressing a Mining Sector Consultative Meeting in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Energy and Mineral, Arthur Mwakapugi, said the government needs the miners in turn to exploit this favorable stand. Mwakapugi said that the public out cry has targeted areas like non payment of corporate tax by large scale mining companies. The PS said that there has been a lot of public outcry on measures to be taken by both the government and the mining companies in reducing costs, local goods sourcing, interaction between large and small scale mining and corporate social responsibilities undertaken by large scale mining companies. He said that there has been a growing concern particularly on whether or not the mining policies together with their instruments have offered incentives to achieve a win-win partnership between the government and the mining investors. Mwakapugi agreed that the presence of large-scale mining companies within the local communities has to a certain extent become a catalyst for improved rural life through the impact of the mines on the development and upgrading of various infrastructures. He said the mines have also contributed a lot in the provision of guidance and support to local economic diversification initiatives. Mwakapugi further said that a lot of questions have been raised on whether or not the benefits that the country derives from the mining operations represent a fair deal to its citizenry. The PS explained that the intention and commitment of the government is to ensure that there is sustainable growth of mining sector in the country that benefits all shareholders. He added: ’’The government would continue to attract foreign investments into the country, build a stronger partnership with mining investors and assure them that Tanzania is indeed an excellent destination for mining investments’’. Mwakapugi said that a few years ago the country was little known in the mining world despite its entire prospective geological environment potentiality in gold, gemstones, industrial minerals. He said that the economic policies under the command economy were not conducive enough to attract both local and foreign investors and that led to slow growth and insignificant contribution of the mining sector. Mwakapugi said that in realisation to the trend, the government took a deliberate political decision in the mid 1980s to undertake a wide-range of macroeconomic and structural reforms. He said the reforms paved way to the creation of one of the most competitive mineral policies as well as legal, administrative and incentive profiles in the world, thought to be conducive to foreign investment. ’’The mining industry has grown steadily since the inauguration of the first large scale gold mining in 1998 and currently there are six large scale mines, which produced about 50 tonnes of gold last year alone,’’ he said. The official said that last year mineral exports were the second largest contributor of foreign exchange earnings, after tourism and that between 1998 and 2005 foreign direct investment in the mining sector approximated to USD2.5bn. He further said that the contribution of the sector to GDP grew steadily from 1.7per cent in 1997 to 3.5 in 2005. [ Guardian (Dar es Salaam) - 3 Jul 2006 - www.ippmedia.com ] |
| Record last updated on 10 APR 2006 |