In March 2025, IPIS successfully launched KUFUATILIA, a civil society organization (CSO) incident monitoring scheme for the mining sector, in Tanzania’s Mara region. The launch event, held in Tarime, brought together several CSOs and their community networks for a workshop focused on training, engagement and joint learning.
This initiative builds on the success of a similar system developed by IPIS in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it has grown into a robust network of over 20 organizations. In Tanzania, KUFUATILIA was first introduced in June 2024 in Shinyanga region, following a two-month pilot phase.
KUFUATILIA is a community-based incident reporting system designed to facilitate real-time, structured reporting by community members through mobile phones in Tanzania. This allows them to notify CSOs of issues such as mining-related accidents, environmental concerns, land disputes, labor rights violations, and violence. The system includes an online platform that enables CSOs to collect, verify, and track incidents while documenting their responses to incidents, which can include community empowerment, awareness-raising, referrals, dialogue, advocacy and paralegal support.
KUFUATILIA is part of a five-year project aimed at fostering justice and human rights in Tanzania’s natural resource sector, funded by the Belgian development cooperation. The two Tanzanian partners in this project, HakiRasilimali and Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT), also participated in the workshop to share their expertise and connect this initiative to legal aid efforts and national-level policy advocacy.
Peter Amani of Core of Equality and Development (CoED), a key CSO partner in Shinyanga, highlighted the scheme’s impact, stating:
“With KUFUATILIA, we keep a finger on the pulse of incidents in the mining sector, ensuring we stay ahead of challenges”.
Jonathan Kifunda of Thubutu Africa Initiatives (TAI), another CSO partner in Shinyanga, echoed these sentiments: “KUFUATILIA has brought us closer to the communities we support. The system fosters a sense of ownership, empowering people to take action for justice within their own communities.” He also emphasized KUFUATILIA’s ability to generate reliable data, adding, “with solid evidence at hand, our advocacy efforts have become more credible and impactful.”
The Mara workshop covered the objectives, methodology, and functionality of the KUFUATILIA platform while facilitating discussions on the specific challenges faced by mining communities in the region. Participants exchanged best practices on how CSOs can support and empower communities while engaging with government and corporate stakeholders.
Silas Nyagala, co-Director of Himiza Social Justice, who participated in the workshop, expressed hope that :
“This platform will not only enable transparency but also encourage communities to actively participate in shaping a fairer mining sector”.
With its expansion to Mara, KUFUATILIA is poised to enhance the ability of local CSOs to monitor, document, and respond to mining-related incidents, ultimately fostering greater transparency, accountability, and community resilience in Tanzania’s mining sector.
“Empowering Tanzanian communities and civil society for fostered justice & human rights in natural resource governance” is implemented by IPIS, in partnership with Avocats Sans Frontières, Business and Human Rights Tanzania and HakiRasilimali, with the support of the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).
