Analysis of Application and Impact of Technology Innovations in the

Mining Industry in Tanzania

Deborah Simon Mwakapesa

School of Civil and Survey Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, China

Keywords: Mining Industry, Technology Innovation, Tanzania.

Abstract: Developments in technology have significantly altered the quality and quantity of data that mining

companies in Tanzania can access. These developments, in turn, support the utilization of automation in

various activities carried out by mining companies. This study explores the application of various general

technology innovations applied in the mining industry in Tanzania. Even though in most cases, the

application of these technologies is influenced by the potential to increase the companies’ production

efficiency and competitiveness, they also facilitate the reduction of pollution and other impacts of mining

activities on the surrounding environment. Moreover, technological innovations can go further to support

other economic sectors that are linked to the mining industry in Tanzania. Areas addressed in this study

include computerization, remote control, remote sensing, automation, and geographic information system

(GIS), concerning economic developments and environmental and safety benefits. Moreover, the study also

discusses productivity and safety gains from technology and highlights on highlights on what the

government and community should keep in mind while adopting these technologies. to the government and

community.

1 INTRODUCTION

Tanzania, which is located on the eastern side of

Africa, is rich in varieties of minerals and other

natural resources. In Africa, the country is in the top

five countries with a diversity and richness of

mineral resources (gemstones, industrial minerals,

and metal deposits). According to the Tanzanian

ministry of energy and resources, minerals are

categorized into five: metallic minerals (gold, iron

ore, copper, cobalt, and silver), gemstones

(diamonds, tanzanite, rubies, garnets, tourmaline,

sapphires, topaz, and emeralds); industrial minerals

(Clays, glass, sand, kaolin, and limestone), energy

minerals (low- sulphur coal and uranium) and

dimension stones (granite) (Poncian, 2019). Despite

having these rich resources for many decades, the

country’s wealth from minerals started growing at

length in the late 1990s following the privatization

and liberalization of the economy, which also lead to

an increase in mineral exportation and expansion of

the mining industry as a whole (Maliganya &

Bengesi, 2018; Malyamkono & Mason, 2006).

The fundamental purpose of mining is removing

or extracting materials such as minerals and metals

from the ground and extracting the desired products

from waste materials. Thousand years ago, miners

used to apply basic knowledge of digging the ground

to find any possible minerals or metals (example in

Figure 1).

Figure 1: Picture showing mining activities using handwork.

However, due to changes in economic eras, the scale

of mining sites as well as the applied technology

Mwakapesa, D.

Analysis of Application and Impact of Technology Innovations in the Mining Industry in Tanzania.

DOI: 10.5220/0011601600003581

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Finance, Information Technology and Management (ICFITM 2022), pages 31-34

ISBN: 978-989-758-628-6

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

have significantly changed. Likewise, advanced

technologies can now predict the type of minerals or

metals in demand and further in which part of the

world, which in turn help to put the industry into

proper perspectives, not only in Tanzania but also in

other countries in the world following the third

industrial revolution which started in the late 1950s.

Although new technologies increase productivity

and mining contribution to the country’s economy,

they also help in managing pollution from mining

activities, improve safety measures at the mining

sites as well as protect the environment as a whole

from any possible hazards associated with the

mining activities. Thus, understanding these new

technologies and their impacts on the country is

significantly important.

Recently, an increased inspection of

environmental and social issues has led mining

companies to adopt sustainability plans. The

adoption and implementation of new technologies

were also emphasized by Mr. Seif Gulam, the

Committee Deputy Chairman of the Tanzanian

Parliamentary Committee for Energy and Minerals,

at the fourth exhibition on technology and

investment held in Sept-2021, with the call on

miners to learn and adopt various technologies to

increase efficiency in the mining industry

(https://www.ice.it/it/news/notizie-dal-mondo/190367).

The history and technologies applied in mines

usually intend to maximize the production outputs of

the mined material while minimizing the production

and processing costs. These processes lead to the

growth of the economy and easy accessibility of the

required raw materials. On the other hand, the

processes are associated with environmental

pollution and the destruction of the normal function

of the ecosystems. For example, the open pits mines

of diamond (in Mwadui-Shinyanga), gold (in Geita

and Bulyanhulu), Ruby (in Umba), Phosphate (in

Minjingu), and limestone (in Mbozi and Dar es

Salaam) and others, which are susceptible to

disposing of water toxic into the ecosystems, as well

as underground mines also which have several

impacts on the environment. Considering that

environmental impacts from mining operations from

many years ago are still detectable today the

industry must continue to pay much attention and

emphasis on environmental issues by exploring

varieties of technology.

The following section highlights some of the

general applications and impacts of technological

innovations in the Tanzanian mining industry.

2 GENERAL APPLICATIONS

AND IMPACTS OF

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

IN THE TANZANIAN MINING

INDUSTRY

The mining activities depend on reliability and

predictability, both for production efficiency and for

ensuring the safety of workers while keeping the

surrounding environment safe from any possible

hazards. Moreover, mining companies and investors are

demanded to provide better environmental performance

and transparency to earn the operational social license

(Maliganya & Bengesi, 2018). Increasingly, they aim to

position the mining industry as an advanced and

forward-looking part of the transition to a more

significant and sustainable economy. Some of these

technologies are highlighted in this section Examples are

shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Technology in mining operations.

i. Automation of Mining Activities: This is one of

the most important innovation trends in the

mining industry. The driving factors for this

innovation are not primarily environmental but

rather productivity, health, and safety. This

industry is widely known to be a dirty business

that is also susceptible to various dangerous

activities and usually dangerous business. The

application of automated mining trucks and

outfits prevents a large number of workers from

direct exposure to the minerals and associated

chemicals. Simultaneously, automation enables

mines to function at the appointed time while

maximizing their use of inputs (NRCan, 2016).

Mining activities are automated in different

forms with significant benefits that increase

productivity as well as reduce environmental

impacts:

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ii. Site monitoring: automation and remote sensing

technologies can significantly benefit

environmental performance by facilitating a fast

track of issues before they occur or cause

damage (Wang, Yang, & He, 2018).

iii. Ventilation systems at underground mining sites:

this causes major costs in underground mines.

The systems are important to regulate

temperature, clear smoke, gases, and fuel fumes,

and ensure safe operations in mines. Automated

ventilation systems use network sensors to move

air to the required areas at any time, which saves

more than 30% of energy consumption.

■ Visualization of Mine Spatial Data: 3D-

Modelling creates a viewable and easy presentation

of spatial data which makes it easy to understand

even those complex interrelated issues. This also

helps the mining companies to gain insights into the

mine systems at a lower cost and reduced impact on

the environment.

■ GPS and GIS (Geographic Information

Systems (GIS)): As surveying is an important

aspect of the mining industry, GPS and GIS are

integral tools that provide a deeper look at how

geographic relationships affect our environment,

facilitate surveying and mapping huge areas in the

mining sites, which also saves a lot of time. GIS

enables the miners to go about and solve daily real-

life issues which have location and accessibility

problems. GIS also facilitates easy exploration of

minerals, insights into the geochemical and

hydrology data, documentation of mining activities,

facility and tailings management, as well as insights

into regulatory compliance.

■ Artificial Intelligence (AI): in recent years, AI

has taken lead in decision-making at insight-driven

companies. They apply machine learning and smart

data to improve the companies’ operational

efficiency, safety, and mine production workflow.

AI is applied in the exploration and processing of

minerals, autonomous vehicles, and drillers.

■ Data Collection and Analytics Software

Systems: recent applications of computer systems

help to improve mining operations by collecting and

analyzing data that shows daily mine operations as

well as can predict required machine maintenance at

the right time. This is done through sensors placed in

different locations to collect data such as quality of

air; consumption of fuels, temperature ranges, etc.

which gather data. All of these help in reducing time

consumption and reduce operational costs.

■ Asset Management Systems: mobile computers

for tracking assets and production control software

are an essential part of asset management systems in

the mining industry. Secure, fast processing, built-in

data capture equipment, easy data entry options, and

connectivity capabilities facilitate reliable assets and

resource tracking and management.

■ Remote Sensing: Nowadays, drones have started

to take lead across the mining industry in Tanzania.

They now produce similar outputs as a helicopter

but at a lower cost. When set to perform operational

tasks at mining sites, drones provide these

advantages: safety in hazardous areas, management

of assets, maintenance and inspection of

infrastructure as well as site mapping. Also, the

technology helps in (i) Mine exploration and (ii) Site

operation and management through network sensors,

machinery, and devices, along with imagery data

from satellites. It ensures that mine management is

better aware of what is going on at the site (Cosbey

et al., 2016).

3 DISCUSSION AND

CONCLUSIONS

Rapid growth in technological innovation, including

the few that have been discussed above and many

other, are having a fundamental impact on the

mining industry in Tanzania. Technology offers

several impacts on mining daily operations, such as

safety and productivity, protection of the

environment, and providing a safe environment for

both men and women to work at the mining sites.

Compared to previous years, current innovations

employed in this industry have improved

environmental conservation through improved waste

management efforts, and efficient processing of

tailings. With improved technology, the industry has

increased its contribution to the economy of the

country. It has also helped to reduce the belief of this

industry is too dangerous for women, as more jobs

are operated at a distance from the rock face. And

now, thanks to technology, the number of women

working in the industry is increasing by the day.

However, despite all those benefits and more,

there are some critical issues that the Tanzanian

community and government as a whole need to

consider to benefit more from this industry. It is a

fact that most of the mining companies especially

the large-scale mines are foreign companies (foreign

investment); which come with more advanced

technology for their daily conduct and to increase

Analysis of Application and Impact of Technology Innovations in the Mining Industry in Tanzania

their productivity. This is a call for the community

and government to stay updated on the latest

innovations and changes brought in to ensure that

increased targeted productivity comes with balanced

economic and social benefits for all the time that the

company will be operating in the country.

On the positive side, the government can ensure

high environmental standards within mining

operations by incentivizing certain technological

innovations, setting up targeted tax incentives for the

mining companies, creating research and education

opportunities for their local workforce on the

technology, and facilitating the achievement of local

scholars. The companies should be encouraged to

collaborate with different local sectors universities

and other research institutions to bring new and

valuable technology insights into the industry while

also managing risks.

Moreover, the government needs to ensure that

these new technologies do not undermine shared

value efforts, including employment and investment

opportunities in local communities or dividing the

sector into low-paying, low-skilled jobs and high-

paying jobs for individuals who can take advantage

of the shift to new technologies.

REFERENCES

Cosbey, A., Mann, H., Maennling, N., Toledano, P.,

Geipel, J., & Brauch, M. D. (2016). Mining a mirage:

Reassessing the shared-value paradigm in light of the

technological advances in the mining sector.

Jasiński, M., Jasińska, E., & Jasiński, M., 2017. Impact of

It Application To Mining Industry Development.

Maliganya, W., & Bengesi, K. M. (2018). Policy enabling

environment of mining sector in Tanzania: A review

of opportunities and challenges.

Malyamkono, T., & Mason, H. (2006). The Promise. Dar

es Salaam: TEMA Publishers.

Poncian, J. (2019). Extractive resource ownership and the

subnational resource curse: Insights from Tanzania.

The Extractive Industries and Society, 6(2), 332-342.

Wang, L., Yang, X., & He, M. (2018). Research on safety

monitoring system of tailings dam based on internet of

things. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series:

Materials Science and Engineering.

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