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This study examines the effects of disaggregated corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on the economic wellbeing of host communities in Tanzania’s mining sector. Drawing on stakeholder theory, the study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design using primary survey data collected from 393 respondents in three gold-mining regions - Geita, Mara, and Kagera, with 332 valid responses analysed using SmartPLS 4. The analysis focuses on the effects of economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic CSR practices on community-level economic outcomes. The findings indicate that ethical, legal, and philanthropic CSR practices have positive and statistically significant effects on economic wellbeing, while economic CSR practices are not statistically significant. These findings suggest that while legal CSR practices contribute positively to economic wellbeing, their influence remains relatively modest, indicating that compliance-based interventions alone may not generate substantial household-level improvements. In contrast, responsible business conduct and community-oriented investments appear to exert a stronger and more direct influence on local development outcomes. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical support for disaggregating CSR into distinct dimensions when assessing development outcomes in extractive industries and highlights the need to move beyond aggregate CSR measures toward more differentiated and context-sensitive analyses. From a policy and practice perspective, the findings underscore the importance of aligning CSR initiatives with community priorities and strengthening implementation frameworks to enhance their developmental impact in resource-dependent economies.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices of privately owned mining companies have been argued to create benefits to communities’ wellbeing in areas of their operation. However, little is known on the CSR of partly owned government mining companies. Therefore, this paper ought to: examined the contribution of CSR practices of the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania to the wellbeing of communities living around the mine. Specifically, it examined and compared levels of household wellbeing before and after the implementation of CSR practices. The study used cross sectional research design and involved 358 households which were selected using systematic random sampling method. The wellbeing index was used to measure levels of wellbeing. Besides, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to compare wellbeing levels before and after the implementation of the CSR practices. The results revealed that the CSR practices of the North Mara Gold Mine company enabled people to own improved quality housing and valuable assets. Also, the household wellbeing index score was significantly higher after the implementation of the CSR practices. There was a significant difference in wellbeing levels (p<0.001) before and after the implementation of CSR practices. It is recommended that CSR plans to be integrated into company business operations and carefully monitored, evaluated and strictly audited regularly for effective community development.

The CSR practices of privately owned mining businesses have the capacity to foster the development of communities residing in proximity to the mining operations. Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge regarding the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by mining businesses in Tanzania that are partially owned by the government. The focus of this study was to analyze the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives implemented by the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania, which is partially controlled by the government. The primary aims of this study were to assess the level of community awareness regarding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to analyze the CSR initiatives performed by North Mara Gold Mine among the surrounding regions. The research had a cross-sectional design and included a sample of 358 houses, which were chosen through the utilization of a systematic random selection method. The data collection process involved the utilization of many methods, including household surveys, key informant interviews, focus group talks, and documentary reviews. The data underwent examination through the utilization of descriptive statistics and content analysis techniques. The primary outcomes of the investigation indicated that a majority of the participants exhibited knowledge regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR), and demonstrated the ability to articulate and elucidate the CSR initiatives implemented by North Mara Gold Mine within their respective localities. The findings indicate that the key informants have the ability to articulate corporate social responsibility as the responsibilities of companies towards the local community residing in the vicinity of the mining operation, with the objective of enhancing the overall welfare of the community. Additionally, it was discovered that the North Mara Gold Mine has been actively engaging in the implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives. These initiatives primarily involve providing support to the local populations residing in close proximity to the mine. The support encompasses several areas such as education, infrastructure development (including roads and sanitary facilities), healthcare, and employment opportunities. Hence, it is advisable for mining enterprises to include corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies into their business operations and establish a dedicated CSR Foundation to oversee and manage CSR initiatives.