Buzwagi Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
Buzwagi Gold Mine is an open pit
gold
mine
in the Shinyanga Region
of Tanzania
, located 6 kilometres southeast from the town of Kahama
. It is operated by African Barrick Gold
.
It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold
, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka
, Bulyanhulu
and the North Mara Gold Mine
. In the financial year 2009, the four operations produced a combined amount of 716,000 attributable ounces of gold.
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
Barrick acquired Buzwagi, alongside Tulawaka, as part of its acquisition of Pangea Goldfields Inc. in 2000. The mine, the second largest mining operation and the largest single open pit mine in Tanzania, opened in 2009. The mine was construction for Buzwagi cost approximately $400 million, and employeed more than 3,000 people. It consists of an open pit mine, ore processing facilities, a waste rock storage facility, a tailings storage facility, as well as water management and other ancillary facilities. In 2009, Buzwagi employed close to 1,500 people. It has, as of 2009, an expected mine life of 13 years remaining. Mine production costs are expected to be a maximum of US$
335 per ounce.
In 2010, 60 employees were suspended, after Barrick discovered widespread fuel theft by employees at the mine.
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
gold
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the Shinyanga Region
Shinyanga Region
Shinyanga Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Shinyanga. It is bordered to the north by the Mwanza, Mara, and Kagera Regions, and to the south by the Tabora Region...
of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, located 6 kilometres southeast from the town of Kahama
Kahama
The Kahama district is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Bukombe District, to the south by the Tabora Region, to the north by the Mwanza Region, and to the east by the Shinyanga Rural and Shinyanga Urban Districts.According to the...
. It is operated by African Barrick Gold
African Barrick Gold
African Barrick Gold plc is a gold mining business operating in Tanzania. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka
Tulawaka Gold Mine
Tulawaka Gold Mine is a combined underground and open pit gold mine located in the Biharamulo district, in the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold, who ownes 70% of the mine...
, Bulyanhulu
Bulyanhulu Gold Mine
Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is an underground gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 55 kilometres south of Lake Victoria. It is operated by African Barrick Gold....
and the North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold.It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka, Bulyanhulu and the...
. In the financial year 2009, the four operations produced a combined amount of 716,000 attributable ounces of gold.
History
Gold mining in Tanzania in modern times dates back to the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
Barrick acquired Buzwagi, alongside Tulawaka, as part of its acquisition of Pangea Goldfields Inc. in 2000. The mine, the second largest mining operation and the largest single open pit mine in Tanzania, opened in 2009. The mine was construction for Buzwagi cost approximately $400 million, and employeed more than 3,000 people. It consists of an open pit mine, ore processing facilities, a waste rock storage facility, a tailings storage facility, as well as water management and other ancillary facilities. In 2009, Buzwagi employed close to 1,500 people. It has, as of 2009, an expected mine life of 13 years remaining. Mine production costs are expected to be a maximum of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
335 per ounce.
In 2010, 60 employees were suspended, after Barrick discovered widespread fuel theft by employees at the mine.
Production
Production figures for the mine since opening in 2009:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce | Tonnes processed |
| 2009 | 189,000 ounces | 2.24 g/t | US$ 422 | 2,670,518 |
| 2010 |
External links
- Barrick website
- African Barrick Gold website
- Buzwagi mine (TZA-00677) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website