Barrick pledges $30 million for Tanzanian schools

Barrick Gold has pledged $30 million in partnership with the Tanzanian government toward the expansion of education infrastructure in the country, following a meeting between CEO Mark Bristow and Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan.  

The "Barrick-Twiga Future Forward Education Program" is aiming to build 1,090 classrooms, 1,640 ablution blocks and 270 dormitories across 161 schools nationwide, helping to accommodate approximately 49,000 of the estimated 190,000 students who are expected to start their A levels (post-secondary education) in July this year. The first $10 million will be paid in April and the balance will be rolled out with the program.  

North Mara has already spent $1.9 million on 87 primary and secondary schools in the Tarime District, 14 of which are the best performing schools in the district. Bulyanhulu has spent $1.8 million on 80 educational projects around the mine and is currently building a vocational education training college centre in Bunango Village. Barrick’s investment around the mine has given 7,557 Tanzanian girls access to education in 2022. 

Bristow said since Barrick took over control of the mines in 2019, it had pumped $2.4 billion into the Tanzanian economy. Through their community development committees, the miners had invested more than $10 million in projects to improve healthcare, education, access to potable water and the road infrastructure. 

“We believe that education is key to the development of the country. Both the Bulyanhulu and North Mara gold mines continue to support the education sector through the building of classrooms and the improvement of education infrastructure around the mines, which has seen some of them consistently feature among the top schools in these regions,” Bristow said. 

To learn more about the program, visit www.Barrick.com.