In a significant shift towards industrial self-reliance, Tanzania has recently inaugurated its first state-of-the-art copper processing plant in Chunya District, Mbeya Region, a development that signals not just progress but a bold recalibration of its place in the global mineral’s economy.
Operated by the locally owned Mineral Access Systems Tanzania Ltd (MAST), this plant is redefining the country’s copper value chain and aligning it with the global demand for clean energy technologies. It’s more than a facility; it’s a symbol of economic ambition.
MAST, established in 2011, has been a significant player in the mineral trade of East and Southern Africa, focusing on strategic minerals such as copper, nickel, and manganese. It’s experience in countries like Zambia, the DRC, Zimbabwe, and South Africa has paved the way for this landmark venture. However, it is in Chunya that the company has established its most transformative presence, culminating a decade of strategic relationships with small-scale miners and regional stakeholders into concrete industrial infrastructure.
Built through a joint investment of over US$10 million with its New York-based partner MCC, the Chunya plant leverages advanced leaching and cementation technologies to process low-grade copper ore into copper cement with up to 75% purity.
It’s designed to handle 31,200 tonnes of copper ore monthly, 4,000 of which are sourced from small-scale miners across Tanzania. This inclusive model offers a lifeline to artisanal miners who, for decades, operated at the fringes of formal economic structures. Now, they are suppliers to a high-tech facility that pays them fairer prices and brings them into the formal economy.
The significance of this model can hardly be overstated. In a country where small-scale mining has often been marginalized and underregulated, MAST’s inclusive supply chain offers both economic empowerment and a framework for formalisation.
“We are creating a reliable domestic market for small-scale miners. This not only empowers communities economically but also helps formalise an important sector that has traditionally operated in the informal space,” a senior company official noted. In many ways, it reflects a national effort to reclaim the mineral narrative, long dominated by raw exports and limited local benefit.
Chunya, a district known more for its gold mines, is being repositioned. The plant has already created 254 jobs, with 205 of them going to Tanzanians, a majority from the Mbeya Region. The second development phase aims to double the workforce, setting a target of 500 employees, 95% of whom will be Tanzanian. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about anchoring economic value where the resources come from.
Government revenue is also beginning to reflect the promise of value addition. The first shipment of just 200 tonnes of copper cement brought in TZS 228 million in taxes, with Chunya District Council alone earning more than TZS 9 million. These numbers are expected to grow exponentially as the plant scales up, contributing to both national and local budgets—a goal long elusive in Tanzania’s mineral sector, where raw exports often left little behind.
Beyond economics, MAST is taking social responsibility seriously. The company has rehabilitated six kilometers of village roads and built an additional eleven kilometers within the mining zone, easing the movement of people and goods. It has also invested in youth by donating sports equipment, fostering both development and social cohesion in surrounding communities.
Replication plans are already underway. MAST is set to establish three more beneficiation facilities in Simanjiro, Mbesa, and Dodoma. Each plant is projected to generate about US$40 million in annual economic impact and create over 500 jobs. The ripple effect on Tanzania’s industrial landscape could be profound, especially as these facilities are designed to integrate with local communities and economies.
Tanzania’s Sixth Phase Government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan has placed industrialisation and local value addition at the center of its economic agenda. The copper plant in Chunya is an early fruit of these policies. The administration has prioritised policies that incentivise beneficiation, regulate fair practices, and improve investor confidence. As of May 2025, four licenses have been issued for copper processing plants in Tanzania, Chunya, Dar es Salaam, Iringa, and Lindi, a sign of burgeoning investor interest.
However, while this success story is promising, it invites reflection on Tanzania’s post-independence struggle with resource industrialisation. Since gaining sovereignty in 1961, the country has launched multiple waves of industrialisation, each met with varying degrees of success and sustainability.
The Arusha Declaration in 1967, for example, attempted to place the means of production in Tanzanian hands, but state-led industries often faltered due to poor management, lack of technology, and limited capital.
Critics caution that without structural reforms, history might repeat itself. Questions remain about the environmental sustainability of the copper plant and the long-term economic viability of such projects in fluctuating global markets.
There are concerns about whether artisanal miners, despite being integrated into supply chains, can maintain consistent quality and safety standards. And with global competition in copper beneficiation intensifying, especially from continental heavyweights like Zambia and the DRC, Tanzania must ensure its policies are nimble and its institutions robust.
Yet, there is cause for optimism. Unlike the failed parastatal experiments of the 1970s and 80s, projects like MAST-Chunya are rooted in public-private partnerships, guided by modern technology and driven by a demand-led global market. Moreover, the project shows signs of adaptability; MAST is already investing in equipment to process nickel, a mineral with growing demand due to its role in electric vehicle batteries. The ability to pivot and diversify mineral processing enhances the project’s resilience.
Tanzania’s underexplored copper potential spans regions like Geita, Mara, Shinyanga, and Mwanza in the Lake Zone; Katavi, Rukwa, and Kigoma in the West; and Lindi, Ruvuma, Iringa, and Morogoro in the South and Central Zones. With the right geological mapping and investment incentives, the country could emerge as a serious player in the global copper supply chain, particularly as countries around the world race to secure the raw materials needed for green infrastructure.
Globally, copper is experiencing a renaissance. It’s a metal that underpins electrification, prized for its conductivity and recyclability. The USGS ranks Chile, Peru, the DRC, China, and the US as the world’s top producers. In Africa, Zambia has long been the flagbearer, with the DRC rapidly catching up. For Tanzania, the Chunya facility is not just a plant; it is an entry point into this strategic league.
The story of Chunya’s copper beneficiation plant is thus more than a headline about mineral processing. It is a nuanced tale of a country striving to close the gap between potential and performance, between raw exports and refined value. It is also a reminder of the complexities involved in building sustainable industrial frameworks in resource-rich but historically industrialised nations.
As Tanzania navigates this new trajectory, it must balance ambition with caution. It must ensure that community benefits are tangible and sustained, that environmental safeguards are not afterthoughts, and that the sector remains transparent and inclusive. The gains from Chunya must not only endure but multiply.
In the final analysis, the Chunya copper plant represents a shift in Tanzania’s development logic, one that favours long-term industrial capability over short-term extraction. If this model holds, it could set a precedent not just for the country but for other African nations seeking to rise through value addition rather than resource exportation. It’s a rare moment where ambition, infrastructure, policy, and community alignment converge. Tanzania now has a window of opportunity. The challenge is to keep it open.
