Tanzania: Turning Tanzania's Natural Wealth Into National Prosperity

What the report says

Tanzania is framing its natural resources as a core pillar of long-term development, according to a Daily News article republished by AllAfrica on 5 October 2026. The report says the country has wide-ranging assets, including minerals, natural gas, wildlife, forests, fertile land, water resources and a long coastline, and places this wealth at the centre of the government’s Dira 2050 plan. The goal is to turn resource endowment into broader prosperity through higher incomes, stronger industrial capacity and wider participation by Tanzanians.

The article highlights mining as a key example. It says the sector’s share of GDP and government revenue has risen, and that authorities are pushing a mineral value-addition strategy to shift away from exporting raw materials. The report notes existing gold refineries and government support for more processing capacity for minerals such as copper, nickel, tin and salt. It also says reforms have opened new opportunities for small-scale miners, including licensed access in some former forest reserve areas, with local groups awaiting surveying before operations begin.

Tourism is presented as another major growth engine. The article says Tanzania’s wildlife, mountains, beaches and national parks are drawing more visitors, with arrivals and earnings increasing in 2025. It says tourism is now the country’s second-largest source of foreign exchange after mining and supports millions of jobs. More broadly, the piece argues that Tanzania’s challenge is not resource scarcity but converting natural wealth into jobs, revenue, manufacturing and sustainable development.