In the era before the Second World War, Sekenke was the largest single producer of gold in which is now the present-day Tanzania, which was the then colony of Tanganyika.

[1] The mine closed in 1959 and exploration rights in the area of the old mine now lay with Barrick Gold,[2] through its subsidiary, Sekenke Exploration Limited, while the wider area around the mine is under exploration by Currie Rose Resources Inc.[3] Gold mining in Tanzania in modern times dates back to the German colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria in 1894.

Sekenke became the largest single producer of gold in the pre-war period of the late 1930s in Tanzania, when gold mining in the country experienced a boom between 1930 and the Second World War.

[1][5] During the First World War, gold from Sekenke was used to mint coins to pay German troops fighting against the allied forces in the Belgian Congo.

[1] The Sekenke mine closed in 1959, having produced an average grade of 15.4 g/t of gold and 2.5 g/t of silver in its 50 years of operation.