With a growing public debate over extractive resources as the backdrop, Tanzania showed its leadership in Africa last week with the announcement that it would join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
On November 19, Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja told reporters in Dar es Salaam that the move would help facilitate good governance and supervision of the mining sector and "help to ensure that mineral resources benefit the country. ..."
Though Tanzania ranks fourth in production of gold for Africa, it received only US $90 miillion in revenues from 1999 to 2005, despite exports totalling $3 billion over the same period. The challenges of poor governance of resources and insufficient transparency and accountability have plagued Africa's extractive industries for decades. Revenue transparency is a central pillar in the fight to reduce the resource cusrse and establish effective resource wealth management. Participation in the EITI will give Tanzania essential tools to engage government, parliamentarians and the public in extractive industry policy.
Revenue Watch applauds Tanzania's leaders for their decision to join the EITI and work to manage the nation's extractive industry in the interests of the people.
LEARN MORE
- Dar Seeks to Benefit from Its Minerals (The Citizen, Tanzania)
- TANZANIA: Overview
