Rwanda is pushing investors who have booked space in its newly developed special economic zone to quickly roll out projects to spur growth in an uncertain year.

Tanzanians are yet to start benefiting from the new mining law which raised royalty paid on precious minerals including gold from three to four per cent because mining companies haven’t migrated to the new tax regime.

Secrecy in handling mining contracts and lack of disclosure on oil and mining revenues are crippling Africa’s mineral potential, denying the continent billions of dollars as commodity prices rise.

The Australian-based Intra Energy Corporation (IEC) has started coal mining in Mbalawala Mine, Ngaka coalfield in Tanzania, targeting both the domestic and export thermal coal markets of Kenya, Mauritius and India.