DARUBINI – TANZANIA BRIEFING – SEPTEMBER 2025
While Tanzania legal framework offers some protection for land rights, the actual practice in Tanzania’s extractive sector companies remains challenging, falling short of human rights standards based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). State ownership of subsoil resources (minerals, petroleum) often prioritizes mineral extraction over surface rights, thus making land acquisition a frequent occurrence.
Despite the existence of a comprehensive legal procedure, the implementation of the compulsory land acquisition in Tanzania continues to face major challenges and a clear gap between the legal frameworks governing land acquisition and the experiences of affected communities remains evident. In essence the communities are compensated for their land and investments, but not for the land itself or the resources (minerals, petroleum) as they remain under direct control of the Tanzanian state. This is key to understanding the gaps and challenges in the sector.
This edition of Darubini, examines different issues emerging in land rights and access to remedies in the extractive sector. It presents the realities experienced by the affected communities and highlights key challenges within Tanzania’s legal and policy frameworks. Through these insights, the publication aims to inform ongoing discussions on human rights protection, equitable development, and strengthening effective remedies pathways for affected individuals.
“DARUBINI” is the quarterly briefing on “Justice, Human Rights, and Natural Resource Governance in Tanzania.”
This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD). The contents of this document can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the Belgian Development Cooperation.
