East African Community member states have had a fair showing in mineral exports with Tanzania leading the way, earning over $3.3 billion last year.

Minerals make up over 52 per cent of Tanzania’s exports. According to Tanzania Chamber of Mines, the country’s gold production currently stands at about 40 tonnes a year, copper at 2,980 tonnes, silver at 10 tonnes and diamond at 112,670 carats annually.

Tanzania is Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali. In 2014, the country earned more than $1.6 billion from gold alone.

Tanzania also has niobium, coal, platinum, graphite, diamonds, tanzanites, silver, limestone, soda ash, nickel and rare earths.

Uganda has been exporting minerals such as gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten to the European Union, China and the US. It is estimated that the country earns more than $140 million every year from minerals.

Rwanda earned $191.7 million from its minerals in 2014 compared with $226.2 million in 2013. Rwanda is one of the world’s biggest producers of tantalum. It also produces cassiterite, a tin ore, which is exported to China, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore and Austria.

In 2012, Kenya’s profile as a potential top rare earth minerals producer rose after mineral explorer Cortec announced it had found deposits worth $62.4 billion.

According to the results by Cortec, the area had niobium deposits estimated to be worth $35 billion making the find, one of the top five rare earth deposits in the world.
Rare earth deposits consist of neodymium, dysprosium, europium, terbium, and yttrium.

However, Cortecs’ mining licence for Mrima Hill was cancelled. Cortec had confirmed a deposit of 680 million kilogrammes of niobium. Niobium is used to strengthen steel and its global demand has been rapidly rising. Last year the prices rose to $45 a kilogramme.

The value of mineral production in Kenya rose from $197.2 million earned in 2013 to $209.2 million in 2014. Kenya has discovered coal deposits, rare earths but most of its earnings are from the Base Titanium mine in Kwale. There are also earnings from gemstones, soda ash among other minerals.