Dr. James Mataragio Director, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation
My background is as a geoscientist, and I have been one for over 15 years now. I started my career back here in Tanzania. After majoring in geology from the University of Dar es Salaam, I went straight into the mining sector, which was Tanzania’s keynote traditional industry in at that time. A year later, I relocated to Japan to study for my Master’s degree and subsequent to graduation, returned to Tanzania to work for Anglo American plc., a multinational mining corporation.
Shortly afterwards, I was invited to teach at the university here, a role which I fulfilled for less than a year before moving to the US to complete a PhD at the University of Missouri. After receipt of my doctorate, I was offered a job at Bell Geospace, where I spent a decade working on extractive industry projects – initially mining sector focused, then later on oil and gas sector related – across a wide range of countries including Canada,
Brazil, Uganda and Kenya.
I’ve always maintained strong ties to my homeland, returning every year and cultivating strong ties both with the ministry and academia. When this position of managing the national oil company was first advertised, it was actually my friends and colleagues who encouraged me to apply for the position.
At first I was hesitant to accept bearing in mind that this would be a very political position and that the hydrocarbons industry is relatively new in Tanzania. At the same time, I was eager to return home and participate actively in the development of my country. In end, I applied and barely six months later found myself being appointed to the role by the president.
Source :
http://www.energyboardroom.com/inte...r-tanzania-petroleum-development-corporation/