Deputy Minister of Communication, Science and Technology January Makamba.
The government has complemented organisers and participants at public seminars on natural resource management as vital forces to securing transparency and accountability in related sectors.
“It is important to involve the public in all dialogue over natural resources because they are the intended benefactors,” Deputy Minister of Communication, Science and Technology January Makamba said.
Speaking to The Guardian over the weekend, the Deputy Minister said transparency and accountability are central pillars of good governance.
“Public dialogue upholds and supports these principals by allowing the intended benefactors to air their concerns and share their views,” he went on to say.
Last month, 400 Tanzanians from 20 different districts around the country met to share and discuss their opinion on the best approach to manage the revenues that will come through the discovered off-shore natural gas deposits.
The discovered gas deposits are reported to be worth nearly 15 times that of the country’s current annual GDP.
The representatives met as part of a first-of-its-kind national survey to be conducted in Africa by REPOA and the Centre for Global Development (CGD).
The meetings are in effect, independent think-tanks that conduct research and analysis on topics related to effects of policies and actions of the rich on poor people in the developing world.
After a period of discussion, the citizens posed questions to panels of experts drawn from government and civil society organisations with knowledge of the issues surrounding natural gas.
The panelists included representatives from government institutions including Parliament, Bank of Tanzania, President’s Planning Commission, and the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Also, representatives from leading Tanzanian research institutions like REPOA, the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Twaweza, and the Uongozi Institute also attended as expert panelists.
Referring to the meeting, the Deputy Minister said by electing good leaders, the citizenry can play a big role in steering the country’s resource management.
“I believe the public expresses their preferences through the leaders they elect, if they elect bad leaders then they can expect poor management of resources,” he warned.
He emphasised the need for wananchi to be vigilant, cautious and even wary of the candidates that come forward, he urged the public to scrutinise the ideals these potential leaders exhibit and to question their motives.
“I urge the public to really learn the details of plans that the candidates advocate in their campaigns before voting for them…your vote must be an informed decision,” he said.
Earlier, addressing the continent’s very first national representative deliberative poll the Deputy Minister noted that; “Citizens have the power to elect leaders who can keep their interests in mind and who will be able to properly manage the revenues that we are getting from the oil and gas industry.”
The Deputy Minister was also keen to point out that it is the right of the public to demand transparency and accountability from their leaders. He said to put this power into practice, then the citizenry must participate in the political process.
Makamba thus urged wananchi not to squander their right to vote; “it is your power to determine who leads the country and sway policy,” he said.
Speaking to the media ahead of the meeting, CGD Research Fellow Mujobu Moyo said, “Proper management of revenues from natural resources can determine the total wellbeing of a nation. Like most developing nations, Tanzania faces major challenges to harnessing the full benefits of the recent discovery of natural gas. Some of these challenges are corruption, wasteful spending and political violence.”
“Citizens need to first understand and then get involved in the decision-making process of how revenues from such a resource should be managed to avoid the resource curse that has plagued other countries before,” she added.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
