Tanzania is endowed with significant mineral resources and the extractive sector forms an important part of the country’s formal and informal economy. The extractive sectors is particularly diverse and it includes artisanal, small, medium, and large-scale mining of high-value minerals such as gold, diamonds and gemstones, the widespread extraction of industrial minerals such as limestone, gypsum and salt as well as big exploration projects for oil and gas. The main contribution of the large-scale extractive industry is on the macro-economic level as it accounts for 35% of exports and 5% of GDP. The sector therefore has the potential to effectively contribute to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet, its potential for sustainable development remains far from realized due to severe governance challenges, stemming from a lack of transparency, accountability, and civic participation. This top-down and non-inclusive decision-making has resulted in laws and policies that are detached from realities in the typically remote areas where minerals are extracted.
In partnership with HakiRasilimali a membership NGO of CSOs working in extractive industries, IPIS seeks to implement “promoting civic space in Tanzania’s extractive sector governance” project aimed at promoting civic space in extractive sector governance to improve the sector’s contribution to sustainable development and human rights by:
- Enhancing civil society capacity to assess, monitor and advocate for improvements in the design and implementation of extractive sector policies and laws,
- Improving alignment of collective CSO efforts to represent and protect vulnerable communities in open dialogue with government through enhanced coordination, communication and cooperation at and between the local, national and international level
- Improving citizen access to information and participation in local and national decision-making related to revenue and impact management of extractives.
It is expected that by the end of the project, HakiRasilimali will be a stronger civil society network, building bridges between the local, national, and international level and that the civil society has enhanced capacity to assess and monitor extractive sector laws and implementation. Further, the project seeks to ensure that the citizens, affected communities and local government have better access to information and better participation in extractive sector governance and that civil society more effectively represents community concerns and has a more influential role in dialogue and decision-making on extractives.
- Dates: January 2022 - May 2023
- Location: Tanzania
- Research Programmes: Business & Human Rights, Natural Resources
- Funder: Belgian Development Cooperation DGD
- Partner: HakiRasilimali (HR)
- Activities: Baseline research; training & capacity enhancement; advocacy and dialogues
- Deliverables: Research reports; multi-stakeholder dialogues; workshop; monitoring, evaluation and learning