Several African countries have recently enacted mining laws that could be described as resource nationalist: for example, increasing state investment in the sector, increasing royalty rates, and/or requiring local content. These laws mostly focus on large-scale mining (LSM). What implications do they have for artisanal and small mining (ASM)? Particularly in countries where there are forms of cooperation between LSM and ASM (such as purchase agreements, or multi-stakeholder projects for ASM capacity-building), what might resource nationalism mean for such cooperation? This article examines these issues in the case of Tanzania, which enacted several laws in 2017 and reformed the institutional structure of the mining sector. The article is based on interviews with key informants in Tanzania. The research indicates a need for decentralization of decision-making, consultation with stakeholders and increase access to training, capital and technology.