Tanzania orders gold dealers to reserve 20% for purchase by c.bank

Tanzania's mining regulator has ordered all mining firms and traders exporting gold to allocate at least 20% of the commodity for sale to the central bank to bolster the bank's move to diversify its foreign reserves.

The central Bank of Tanzania (BoT) began buying gold from local traders and miners in the last financial year that ended in June to boost its reserves amid depreciation pressure on the local currency, the shilling.

In the 12 months to June, the central bank bought 418 kg of gold to beef up its reserves and in the current financial year it intends to buy 6 metric tons of gold.

The regulator, the Tanzania Mining Commission, said late on Friday in a statement that the directive will take effect effectively on Oct. 1 as part of a newly enacted mining law.

Miners and traders, according to the statement, will be required to submit the reserved gold to two major mineral refineries, Eye of Africa Ltd in the capital Dodoma and Mwanza Precious Metals Refinery Ltd, located in the lake city of Mwanza in the north of the East African country.

"All payments will be done according to the Bank of Tanzania arrangements," the statement said, without providing details on rates.

Tanzania's foreign exchange reserves stood at $5.29 billion at the end of July, sufficient to cover 4.3 months of projected imports of goods and services.