HakiRasilimali - Publish What You Pay Tanzania, a platform of civil society organizations working on extractives advocacy in Tanzania, has called on stakeholders to acknowledge, appreciate the role of civil society and preserve its space in the natural resource governance in Tanzania.
The call was made ahead of a national conference on mining, oil and natural gas sector in Tanzania aimed at "collaborative reflection on how this sector can effectively contribute to sustainable development in the country" to be held in Dodoma this week.
“The conference will be held on 2 and 3 November 2017 in Dodoma, bringing together stakeholders from all spheres of society within and outside Tanzania, with a view to discuss, learn and share experiences with policy makers, regulators, civic groups on opportunities for collective approaches towards harnessing the potential of the extractive sector to contribute meaningfully to growth and inclusive socio-economic development,” said Donald Kasongi, the Chairman of HakiRasilimali - Publish What You Pay Tanzania.
The conference comes against a backdrop of currently broadening debate on policies, laws and regulations that aim to ensure upholding sovereign management of natural resources in Tanzania.
“We congratulate the efforts through the President of Tanzania, Dr. John Magufuli for demonstrating exceptionally high levels of patriotism in promoting models that will ensure that the sector can play its full part in building a predictably prosperous and resilient economy in which human development outcomes are central,” Kasongi said adding that “this has been demonstrated through the recent negotiations between the government and corporate entities with mining stakes in the country. The dialogue leading to ensuring that the best scenario for Tanzania’s interests in the resources are secured while at the same time maintaining competitiveness and commitment to creating an investment climate that allows well intentioned investors to continue operating in the country.”
On his part, Bishop Munga of the Interfaith Standing Committee on Economic Justice and the Integrity of Creation said they hope that the rigour in management of the extractive commodities will be broadened to include wider stakeholder groups in public, private and civic sectors.
“It is therefore critical to ensure that governance of the sector is effectively guided by collaborative tools. This collaboration is always achieved with active participation of civil society at local, sub national and national level consultations,” Bishop Munga said.
The platform has also called for the disclosure of all contracts between companies, governments and beneficial owners in the sector and awareness raising campaigns to be provided to all Tanzanians in order to allow productive analysis on these contracts and eliminate "unconsciousness” on the agreement terms.
Moreover, HakiRasilimali has also urged for extractive sector operations that are fully compliant with both national and international social and environmental safeguards to avoid human rights violations and environmental degradation. Also counseled was the importance of expanding dialogue and responsiveness to emerging gender issues in the extractive industries in Tanzania.
Note to Editors:
(HakiRasilimali Members are Action for Democracy and Local Governance, Governance Links, Governance and Economic Policy Centre, ONGEA, HakiMadini, Policy Forum, and Tanganyika Law Society),
Partners: Interfaith Standing committee
For further information or to request interviews please contact:
HAKIRASILIMALI - Racheal Chagonja +255 745 655 655 coordinator@hakirasilimali.or.tz