Geita Gold Mine is an open-air gold mine located in the Gita District of the Gita District (formerly part of the Mwanza District) in Tanzania. It is operated by AngloGold Ashanti.
In 2008, the mine accounted for 6% of the company’s total annual gold production and employed approximately 3,200 employees
Modern day gold mining in Tanzania dates back to the German colonial era, where the discovery of gold began near Lake Victoria in 1894. Work began on the first gold mine in what was then German East Africa, the Sekenke Gold Mine, in 1909, Gold mining Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II.
In the 1930s Tanganyika Concessions Limited learned that gold prospectors were having success in the area near Mgusu, southwest of Lake Victoria, and in 1934 formed Kentan Gold Area Limited to develop these finds. It has done so through its two subsidiaries, Saragura Development Company Limited and Geita Gold Mining Company Limited. The Jetta Gold Mining Company was set up to operate the Jeta Gold Mine in Tanganyika to which it was transferred from the Sagura Development Company.
After World War II production was increased in the Jetta. By 1948, the ore was recovered at three levels, processed in ball mills and gold recovered by the cyanide process. The ore was also recovered from a mine at Ridge Eight and transported 13 km to Jetta by air ropes. General Manager and Director of Mines Art Sadler was Canadian; The company’s secretary was Steve Charlton and chief accountant Mildred Hayward. The company employed about 20 European specialists and 300 African miners. Electrical power was supplied from a wood gasification plant feeding a 2-megawatt Crosley engine. The gold was smelted and shipped monthly by land to Mwanza; In the rainy season the road became impassable and the DH Dragon was drawn to collect ingots from a primitive airstrip for transport to Dar es Salaam. Two prospectors were employed and the ore samples were continuously checked by the lead/silver/acid process, and the 6 ton per ton level was considered the minimum economical level for recovery. In 1951, an eight-inch pipeline was laid to bring water 15 miles from Lake Victoria.