Tanzania's full-year gold output rose 4.4 percent to 1.42 million ounces in 2016, thanks to the improved production at three of the six large-scale gold mines, the mining audit watchdog said on Tuesday.
"Gold production from gold bars and copper concentrate products by six major gold mines ... increased by 4.4 percent from 1.36 million troy ounces in 2015 to 1.42 million troy ounces in 2016," the state-run Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency (TMAA) said in a report.
Tanzania is Africa's fourth-biggest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali and gold exports are a key source of foreign exchange.
"The value of minerals sold by major gold miners in 2016 increased by 11 percent to 1.8 billion," said TMAA.
President John Magufuli's government is locked in a dispute with some of Tanzania' major mining companies over allegations of tax evasion.
The government halted the export of gold and copper concentrate in March following accusations that the companies were under declaring the mineral content of the sands. A presidential committee investigating the allegations is expected to present its findings today.
The government is pushing mining firms to list a 30 percent stake on the Dar es Salaam stock exchange by August, saying that would increase transparency and spread wealth from the country's natural resources.
Major foreign-owned mining companies in Tanzania, including Acacia Mining Plc, AngloGold Ashanti and Petra Diamonds, confirmed they were in talks with the Tanzanian government on the listing, which follows the mandatory listing of telecoms firms.
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