State urged to involve CSOs and NGOs in oil and gas projects

DAILY NEWS Reporter in Dodoma

President John Magufuli

NON Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have applauded President John Magufuli for his self declared war on the protection of the country’s natural resources.

However, they have pleaded to the Head of State to engage the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on issues of the country’s natural resources.

The CSOs, together with faith based organizations, community based organizations, local government, media and academics from Uganda, Tanzania, and international partners from Nigeria, Chad and the United States of America convened in Dodoma for a two-day conference on Tanzania Extractive Industries.

The event was attended by over 150 participants who also included government leaders at national and sub-national levels, representatives of companies on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and international experts in areas of petroleum infrastructural developments and their interaction with host communities.

The convening came on the backdrop of Uganda and Tanzania having signed an international agreement on the construction of the ECOP in May 2015. The 1,445 pipeline will be the longest electrically heated pipeline and will transport crude oil from Kabaale Parish in Hoima District of Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga Port in Tanzania.

The US dollars 3.55 billion EACOP project is a massive infrastructure project of a great geopolitical and economic importance to both governments and extractive industry companies as well as the citizens of both countries.

Haki Rasilimali Chairman, Mr Donald Kasongi said in his opening remarks that the Extractive Industries Conference 2017, themed ‘Examining the potential for oil, gas and mining development in Tanzania’ aimed at among other things, pushing for citizen participation, including the engagement of CSOs He also called on transparency on all contracts regarding the oil, gas and mining projects in the country.

As CSOs, we should show the world that these natural resources can help in building the communities. Bishop Stephen Munga of the Northern Eastern Diocese of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania said every decision that is being done should observe transparency and that above all, the engagement of CSOs was vital.

Bishop Munga who is also the chairperson of the Interface Steering Committee said there was still poor supervision on the country’s natural resources, calling for more transparency.

Ms Veronica Zano, who is a Senior Officer at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association who also participated at the conference said that Zimbabwe and Tanzania share the same history, calling for openness, transparency and accountability.

According to the Zimbabwe national, her country is also rich in natural resources but has weaknesses on openness, something that initially led to loss of her country’s revenue. She said the government had initially ignored the role of CSOs but currently, she insisted, the participation of CSOs has made changes in the country’s natural resource protection.