Tanzania

Recent activities

17 December 2012 – PWYP Tanzania publish a paper analysing Tanzania’s draft natural gas policy law (PDF).

Last Up-Date 10.06.10

April 16, 2010 was a landmark day for Tanzania’s PWYP campaign, as 24 stakeholders (21 institutions and three individuals) formally declared the founding membership status of the PWYP-Tanzania Coalition. The launch event followed a resolution by stakeholders to form a national PWYP coalition during an information workshop held last September in Dar es Salaam. Stakeholders had set a target for the coalition to be formed by December 2009, following the nomination of a 15-member adhoc committee to mobilise more members, finalise a work-plan, and to draft the governance instruments of the coalition. Moreover stakeholders mandated Concern for Development Initiatives in Africa (ForDIA) to coordinate and provide technical support to the committee.

The PWYP-Tanzania Members’ Assembly which convened on 13 April 2010 in Dar es Salaam, endorsed the Coalition’s Memorandum of Understanding, Regulations, Work-Plan and elected six institutional members to form a Steering Committee of the Coalition, in charge of providing strategic direction and overseeing campaign activities. Smaller technical working groups will be formed subsequently, covering areas such as training and capacity building; research and advocacy; and campaign strategy and coordination. Studies assessing the impact of mining on economic growth and dissemination material on natural resource availability in Tanzania have already been approved.

It is a critical time for Tanzanian CSOs to come together to campaign for more responsible management of natural resources. The 1997 Mining policy, as well as the 1998 Mining Act are known for their weaknesses and have been criticised for allowing shoddy mining activities in the country. The increasing levels of poverty, dissatisfaction with foreign investors’ operations in the extractive industries (and the lack of revenues collected thereof), lack of transparency and accountability in the Mining Development Agreements (MDAs), not to mention the human rights violations and environmental degradation caused by mining companies have been plaguing public authorities for some time now. Moreover, in Tanzania, despite oil extraction starting more than ten years ago, there is still no policy or law to supervise corporate operations; nor does a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) regulation exist.

In future, the PWYP-Tanzania campaign hopes to engage with major actors in the extractive industries across the country – including Barrick Africa Gold, which operates four big mining projects in North Mara and East Coast; Pan Africa Energy, which operates the Songo Songo gas production project; and more than 20 petroleum exploration companies, including Tullow Oil, PetroBras and Statoil. The work is expected to be challenging for all actors; the PWYP-Tanzania coalition, companies and the government, as it is a new experience of engagement for all.