Ako Group
About
AKO Group is one of the clearest examples of how local content can create value far beyond the boundaries of a mine. Since beginning its relationship with Geita Gold Mine in 2012, the Tanzanian company has grown from a small service provider into an ISO-certified national contractor employing more than 250 people and supporting major projects across the country.
At Geita, AKO’s contribution extends well beyond conventional catering. The company helps sustain the people behind the operation, providing food services that keep employees nourished, energised and ready to perform in a demanding mining environment. Through disciplined kitchen operations, staff development and a strong emphasis on food safety, AKO ensures that every meal reflects the standards expected across the wider mine.
Its broader capabilities include catering, laundry, housekeeping, cleaning, waste management, grounds maintenance, facilities management, camp construction, equipment maintenance and full turnkey remote-site support. AKO also provides industrial kitchen installation, event catering and ingredient sourcing through its field-to-plate model.
The company’s impact at Geita is also visible within surrounding communities. AKO has worked with the mine’s community relations teams to increase procurement from local farmers, reducing reliance on produce transported from outside the region. Farmers have received seeds, crop protection products and practical training to help them produce vegetables and other food products to the quality and consistency required by a major industrial client.
This approach has helped turn the mine’s daily food requirements into a wider community value chain. Farming groups supported through the programme reportedly increased their combined monthly income from TZS 36 million to TZS 80 million within two years. Local producers have moved from subsistence farming towards commercial supply, supported by training, stronger standards and access to a dependable market.
Geita has also played an important role in AKO’s own development. The systems, safety discipline and operational expectations learned through the relationship have helped the company expand into other nationally significant projects, including Kabanga Nickel, Mantra Uranium One in Songea and the Mwalimu Nyerere Hydropower Project.
Through this partnership, AKO demonstrates that local procurement can do more than fulfil a contract. It can feed a workforce, create careers, grow businesses and build capability that continues long after the service has been delivered.
AKO Group: “Serving Excellence, Nourishing People.”
Ako Group
Plot No. 29363, Urafiki Area, Ubungo,
P.O Box 63314
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.