When Perseus’s board approved Nyanzaga’s Final Investment Decision in April 2025, it set a clock ticking: fewer than 900 days to deliver first gold by Q1 2027. In mining, this is a sprint. Few African projects of this scale, a 5 Mtpa plant, a lined tailings dam, a 220 kV grid line, a 2.3 Moz reserve, are attempted on such compressed schedules.
Every quarter between now and 2027 is mapped on a critical path: resettlement, tailings, power, water, mills. Each milestone is not only an engineering task but also a political test. Communities will judge progress by whether resettlement houses appear. Investors will judge by whether mills arrive on time. Government will judge by whether fiscal flows begin in 2027 as promised.
The challenge is execution under pressure. Tanzania’s rainy seasons, customs queues at Dar es Salaam, and the realities of moving heavy equipment 1,000 km inland leave little margin for error. Perseus has confidence from West Africa builds, but Nyanzaga will be different: it is the first Tanzanian mega-mine born under the 2017 reforms, with every milestone scrutinised for delivery, compliance, and local content.
Early works and site preparation (Q2–Q4 2025)
The first nine months after FID are about foundations, both physical and social. On site, civil contractors are cutting terraces for the 5 Mtpa CIL plant, laying foundations for the camp, and upgrading access roads from the Mwanza–Geita highway. Lycopodium, the EPCM contractor, is mobilised, setting up procurement offices and on-site project controls.
In parallel, early long-lead equipment orders are locked: mills, crushers, and transformers. Ordering in 2025 is critical, any slip in procurement will cascade into 2026.
Equally critical is the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP). By late 2025, the first households must be relocated into model houses. The credibility of the entire project hinges on visible resettlement progress. Communities will tolerate dust and noise if they see promised homes delivered. If not, early goodwill evaporates.
For government, early works are optics: progress on the ground reassures Dodoma that fiscal flows in 2027 are realistic. For Perseus, it builds investor trust that Nyanzaga’s 900-day sprint has left the blocks strongly.
Major civil works & infrastructure (Q1–Q4 2026)
By 2026, Nyanzaga shifts from clearing to construction in earnest. The civil works will dominate: concrete foundations for mills, tank erection for leach circuits, workshops, reagent storage, and laboratories.
The tailings storage facility (TSF) becomes the critical path. The starter dam must be built to international standards before commissioning, under intense scrutiny from regulators and NGOs. Any delay or quality issue here jeopardises the whole timeline.
Simultaneously, TANESCO and contractors will string the 53 km, 220 kV power line to connect Nyanzaga to the national grid. This is both technical and symbolic: the line is the artery that binds the mine into Tanzania’s economy.
The raw water pipeline from Lake Victoria is also laid, a politically sensitive task requiring visible safeguards. Communities will watch for any sign that the mine’s intake threatens fisheries or village water.
The risks are clear: rainy season flooding, stretched supply chains, or RAP delays colliding with construction. Perseus’s task is to juggle civil, power, water, and resettlement streams without losing alignment. 2026 will decide if first gold in early 2027 is realistic or aspirational.
Equipment deliveries & mechanical installation (mid-2026)
The middle of 2026 is dominated by equipment deliveries and installation. The SAG and ball mills, each weighing hundreds of tonnes, are shipped via Dar es Salaam, railed and trucked to site. Any customs delay or logistics bottleneck could derail the schedule.
Alongside mills, the primary crusher, transformers, CIL tanks, and backup diesel gensets must arrive and be installed. Lycopodium’s EPCM role is tested here: coordinating multiple contractors, supervising safety, and ensuring that mechanical installation aligns with civil progress.
Workshops, laboratories, and reagent storage also come online, preparing the operational backbone. For Perseus, this phase is about proving its procurement discipline, the Achilles heel of many African projects.
For Tanzania, equipment deliveries are more than steel: they are symbols. A mill standing on its foundations shows villagers and ministers alike that Nyanzaga is tangible, not just a promise. Each convoy that leaves Dar loaded with components is political theatre as much as engineering logistics.
RAP completion & community integration (through 2026)
Alongside steel and concrete, Nyanzaga’s most sensitive construction item is human: the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP). By late 2026, all ~160 households in the mine footprint must be relocated. Replacement houses, brick, tin-roofed, with water and sanitation, must not only be built but occupied.
Livelihood restoration programs also begin here. Farmers receive seeds and training; youth are placed in apprenticeships or mine jobs; women’s groups tap into microcredit schemes. These are not side projects, they are contractual obligations under both Tanzanian law and international standards.
The RAP’s delivery will define the mine’s legitimacy more than the arrival of mills. If families move into homes on time, with functioning boreholes and schools, Perseus builds trust. If delays leave families waiting while pits advance, the project risks reputational damage that no engineering success can offset.
Pre-commissioning & operational readiness (Q4 2026 – Q1 2027)
By the end of 2026, Nyanzaga enters its most delicate phase: pre-commissioning. Tanks are filled with water, pumps tested, motors spun up. Systems are trialled without ore, then with ore to simulate real flows.
In parallel, the mining contractor mobilises. Fleets of haul trucks, shovels, and drills arrive. First benches of ore are mined and stockpiled to feed the mill once commissioning begins. Workshops and labs go live. The TSF is filled with reclaim water to test its integrity.
Operational readiness also means people. Recruitment ramps up, with Tanzanian operators trained on simulators, safety protocols, and plant control systems. Succession plans begin to move expatriate specialists into training roles. By first gold, Perseus must demonstrate not just machines working but a workforce ready.
First gold and ramp-up (Q1–Q3 2027)
The target is clear: first gold pour in Q1 2027. This is more than symbolic. For investors, it marks the transition from cash drain to cash generator. For Tanzania, it is the trigger for royalties, clearing fees, and the first dividend flows.
Ramp-up to full capacity, 5 Mtpa, takes about six months. Early ounces are critical: they prove recovery rates, validate AISC projections, and calm communities that benefits are real. Perseus must meet or beat guidance; any stumble here will echo loudly in markets and Mwanza alike.
Risks and mitigations
The 900-day sprint carries risks at every turn:
- Rainy season delays: mitigated by sequencing critical earthworks in dry months.
- Customs bottlenecks: addressed by early procurement and lobbying for expedited clearances.
- RAP slippage: mitigated by phased relocation and government mediation in disputes.
- Power integration: risk of TANESCO delays, backed by backup diesel generation.
- TSF scrutiny: mitigated by independent review and transparent reporting to regulators and communities.
Execution discipline is everything. Perseus’s reputation as a reliable African builder is on the line; Tanzania’s credibility as a mining jurisdiction depends on delivery.
900 days as verdict
Nyanzaga’s 900-day timeline is more than an engineering schedule. It is a verdict-in-waiting: on Perseus’s execution, Tanzania’s reforms, and the promise made to communities.
By Q1 2027, the question will be simple: did the mine pour first gold on time, resettle families with dignity, and keep Lake Victoria safe? If yes, Nyanzaga will be remembered as a project that proved Tanzania’s new compact can deliver. If not, it will join the list of cautionary tales where ambition outran execution.
For now, the countdown runs, every quarter a milestone, every delay a political ripple. The next 900 days will decide not only Nyanzaga’s story, but the story Tanzania tells the world about its mining future.
