President John Magufuli...[has] named a second team of experts to join an ongoing investigation into the mineral content in hundreds of tonnes of copper concentrate withheld in different parts of the country. The government has banned any export of the copper concentrate mined by multinational companies as well as small scale minors until the investigation was completed and findings submitted...The probe...underlines the high stake the President had attached to the matter of the concentrate export, and also portrays a desire that he may have held for many years.

President Magufuli started complaining about the concentrate exports long before he entertained thoughts of ever becoming President of Tanzania...A widely shared video...captures...[him] in an animated conversation over the exports. In the clip, Dr Magufuli...[wonders] why mining companies were exporting the copper concentrate...The video opens up with one man explaining the mining process and when he touches on the export of copper concentrates, President Magufuli interjects to say; “And that’s where they steal from us...[I]n the concentrate exported to Japan, there is silver, titanium and copper that they could extract here...All that is required is heat of up to 1500 degrees…they could set up furnaces.”...The President then goes on to say that those who export the copper concentrate mint a fortune out of it while giving peanuts in return. He gave the example of Tsh200 million ($89,850) donation that was given to him by the Japanese for the construction of a local health facility. “silver is very expensive, titanium is used to manufacture airplanes…but what to do let’s keep on losing until when we die,” he says to prompt Mr Kitwanga who is heard telling him; “then go and pick the form.”