Dar es Salaam. Former Tanzanian Ambassador to the UK and US, Ms Mwanaidi Maajar, is pessimistic over the government decision to hold a stake in natural resource investments through state-owned corporations.
Ms Maajar, said unless there was a massive change of attitude among those operating the state-owned companies, the move is deemed to fail.
She was delivering her paper during the Legal Expertise Access Platform (Leap) inaugural conference held in Dar es Salaam yesterday. The paper was entitled ‘Extractive industries boom on the newly emergent Africa continent- resource curse or blessing?'
The government decided to revive the State Mining Company (Stamico) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporations (TPDC) so that the two firms could venture into investments in mining as well as oil and gas sectors on behalf of the government.
However, Ms Maajar isn't optimism as she insisted that experience has proved that the government has failed before due to executive agencies.
"If you ask me if it's good or bad for the government to have a stake in natural resources investment, I will give you two answer; first it is right because the government is a custodian of natural resources on behalf of the people," said she.
She added, "the second answer is a definitely no because the experience proved so; I have no confidence with these public corporations, may be until the attitude changes and we get good executives with a proven record of managing resource."
A representative of Tanzania Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (Teiti), Ms Alice Swai said, in order to avoid resource curse and create sustainability in the extractive industry the government must build trust to the society.
"Only through transparency, managing expectations and ensure public participation, the government will be trusted by its people," she said.
hence making the sector sustainable," said Ms Swai.
On his part Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) president Mr Charles Rwechungura said there is a need for Africa countries to build capacity to its people in order to make sure that the extractive sector isn't solely driven by foreigners.
The sentiments were echoed by Ms Patricia Loreskar a project manager at Search for Common Ground. According to if Africa is to avoid resource curse it needs skillful people, strong judiciary system to fight corruption.
Source:http://http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/...ate-/-/1840392/2528902/-/56rflez/-/index.html
