Tanzania’s government has denied approval for the construction of an industrial soda ash mine at Lake Natron – a popular tourist attraction and home to more than 300 bird species including the world’s largest breeding population of lesser flamingos.
In early 2025, Ngaresero Valley Company announced plans to develop a plant with capacity to extract one million tonnes of soda ash from the lake basin annually. Government blocked the proposal in August following several months of lobbying by communities around the lake, coordinated by NGO Nature Tanzania. More than 65 000 people depend on the lake for livestock grazing, salt harvesting, eco-tourism and access to the freshwater springs flowing into the basin.
Designated as a UNESCO Ramsar wetland site, the lake is East Africa’s only regular breeding site for the lesser flamingo, sustaining between 1.5 million and 2.5 million flamingos, representing 75% of the global population.
Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Minerals, Stephen Kiruswa, said no licence for industrial mining will be issued.
“Only traditional surface collection of naturally occurring soda ash along the shoreline will be permitted. No large-scale mining will be authorised,” Kiruswa said at a press conference.
Tanzania Association of Tour Operators Chairperson Wilbard Chambulo commended Tanzania’s government for its “steadfast commitment” to protecting Lake Natron.
“Tanzania’s natural capital must never be compromised by extractive projects. Tourism – a renewable, sustainable and job-rich sector – remains the foundation of our economy and a pathway to inclusive growth,” he said in a statement.
Proposals for industrial soda ash mining at Lake Natron stem back to 2006 but have repeatedly been thwarted following international outcry from conservation organisations and communities.
