Tanzanian president fires minister and disbands minerals audit agency
Tanzanian President John Magufuli fired mines minister Sospeter Muhongo after an audit of containers of mineral sands showed exports had been understated. An investigation initiated by Magufuli in March found that 277 containers held as much as 15.5 tonnes of gold, instead of the 1.1 tonnes declared, the president said on Wednesday in a speech broadcast live on state TV. Magufuli also disbanded the Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency’s board, dismissed its CEO and asked authorities to investigate those responsible. Magufuli banned mineral exports in March and ordered an audit of the mining industry to identify loopholes he said result in income losses as he tries to boost revenue from the industry for the state. He’s also invited investors to build a smelter in the East African country to process its natural resources. The country is Africa’s third-biggest gold producer with companies including AngloGold Ashanti and Acacia Mining extracting the metal, and also produces copper, iron, zinc...
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