Tanzania’s vibrant mining sector, a critical driver of national economic growth, is governed by a robust regulatory regime designed to maximize local value creation. Central to this framework are the Local Content Mining (Local Content) Regulation 2025, which establish mandatory thresholds for local participation, ownership, and employment across the industry’s supply chain. For both international investors and domestic suppliers, comprehensive understanding and strict adherence to these rules are essential preconditions for successful operation and market access.
The fundamental legal requirements are primarily derived from the Mining (Local Content) Regulations and the Companies Act CAP 212.
Key Compliance Obligations for SuppliersCompanies providing goods and services to mining activities face a detailed set of mandatory requirements:
- Participation Structure: A supplier must be an ITC or structure a Joint Venture (JV). A compliant JV with an ITC must ensure the ITC holds at least 20% ownership (with the ITC partner having 100% shareholding), and the JV agreement must be submitted to get Commission consent.
- Reserved Activities: Some activities will be reserved to Tanzanians.
- Financial and Time Commitments: The law dictates legally required minimum spend or hours on different activities (e.g., security, catering, specialist services) across different operational periods (0–5 years, 5–10 years, and 10 onwards years).
- Procurement Integrity: Suppliers must comply with requirements for competitive tenders and integrity commitments under other regulations.
- Mandatory Legal Services: Critically, any contractor, subcontractor, licensee or an allied entity engaged in a mining activity that requires legal services in the country shall retain only the services of a Tanzanian legal practitioner or a firm of Tanzanian legal practitioners whose principal office is located in Tanzania. This is specifically required under regulation 3 of the Mining (Local Content) Regulations.
- Planning and Reporting: Companies must develop Local content plans. They must submit backward-looking local content annual reports and quarterly reports and comply with other compliance requirements. The contractor must report on the use of Tanzanian legal services in their local content plan.
Rive & Co: Your Strategic Partner
Rive & Co is uniquely positioned to assist clients in successfully navigating this complex legal framework:
- Guaranteed Legal Compliance: Rive & Co meets the local content requirements for legal services.
- Deep Expertise and Access: We have deep expertise in mining and great contacts with mining industry.
- We have advised OEMs, distributers and other mining goods suppliers, contract miners and service providers (like drillers and blasters, surveys, assay, logistics, etc ), cement manufactures, as well as the mining regulator—the Mining Commission and the Ministry of Minerals.
- Comprehensive Service Offerings: We offer Full service work.
| Client Type | Key Services Provided by Rive & Co |
| For Foreign Clients (From Abroad) | Assisting to set up a company and business licensing. Guiding JVs set-up with an indigenous Tanzania company. Assisting with Local content plans, reports and other compliance. Handling Tenders and integrity, and Employee thresholds (including work permits and residence permits). We also assist with OEM issues such as licensing, imports of inputs and machinery to manufacture, and tax incentives (TiSEZa, Strategic Investor, EPZ, SEZ). |
| For Local Clients (Indigenous Tanzanian Companies) | Assisting with Tenders (because of local content regs). Advising on Competition issues (e.g., no sole distributers). |
| Full Service (Both) | Providing Full service work across employment, corporate/co sec, trademarks and patents, and litigation. |
National Reach and Value Proposition
- Geographical Presence: We have one of the largest geographical office spreads in TZ, with offices in Dar, Zanzibar, Arusha, and Dodoma.
- Quality and Efficiency: We have approximately 30 staff who are very dedicated to clients, very responsive, and deliver high quality to demand times.
- Value: We maintain reasonable fees as a local law firm without international pressure to raise fees, while maintaining global standards with internationally qualified lawyer(s), including dual-qualified and one tri-qualified lawyer.
Compliance with Tanzania’s Local Content Regulations is a fundamental and constantly evolving requirement for operating in the mining supply chain. By choosing Rive & Co, companies secure a partner that not only legally satisfies the mandatory local legal services requirement but also brings unparalleled regulatory access, deep industry expertise, comprehensive service offerings, and a nationwide presence. This strategic partnership ensures that clients can operate confidently, meet all compliance obligations, and secure their long-term success in the dynamic Tanzanian mining sector.
Reach out to us at ask@rive.co.tz or our Partner in charge of business development Mr. Sunday Ndamugoba Sunday@rive.co.tz