Tanzania Deploys High-Tech Helicopter to Expand Mineral Exploration Efforts

Tanzania

The Tanzanian government inaugurated a high-technology helicopter outfitted for advanced mineral exploration in a bid to accelerate the search for resources across the country, officials said, a move that signals the increasing strategic focus on mining as a driver of economic growth.

The aircraft, unveiled in Buzwagi, a town in the mineral-rich Kahama District in northwestern Tanzania, is equipped with specialized equipment designed to map and analyze geological formations from the air. The deployment launches a series of surveys aimed at expanding the nation’s detailed exploration coverage to 50% of its territory by 2030, up from roughly 16 percent today.

At the ceremony, Anthony Mavunde, the Minister for Minerals, described the initiative as central to the government’s Mining Vision 2030, a strategy that President Samia Suluhu Hassan has embraced to broaden the base of mineral discoveries and deepen private-sector involvement in exploration activities. “What we are doing today demonstrates that this vision is being realised,” Mr. Mavunde said, according to local reports.

The helicopter will support surveys conducted by Barrick Gold Corporation’s Tanzanian arm, gathering data over areas that include Msalala, Nzega, Igunga, Mbogwe and Nyangh’wale. The information collected will help guide decisions about where new mining projects might be developed and identify zones better suited to smaller scale miners.

Barrick, one of the country’s largest mining investors, has spent more than 100 billion Tanzanian shillings on deep-mineral exploration since entering Tanzania in 2020. Its three operating mines have been credited with contributing upwards of 14 trillion shillings to the domestic economy, according to company executives.

Regional officials and legislators attending the launch praised the government’s efforts to cultivate an investment-friendly climate and said the expanded surveys could spur job creation and broader economic development in communities long associated with mining.

The helicopter initiative complements broader efforts by the Ministry of Minerals to integrate modern technology into Tanzania’s exploration infrastructure and leverage private-sector capital to unlock untapped geological potential across the East African nation.