Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is stepping up efforts to ensure local companies, workers and entrepreneurs capture a greater share of opportunities arising from major strategic investments, with the government urging businesses to prepare to meet the standards required by large projects.
The push will be a key focus of a conference on Tanzanian participation in strategic projects and investments, which will bring together government institutions, private-sector players, civil society organisations and beneficiaries to discuss opportunities in sectors including oil and gas, mining, construction, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic Empowerment Council Gwakisa Mapao said the conference is intended to connect Tanzanians with opportunities created by major investments, particularly jobs, procurement and the supply of goods and services.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure that the billions of dollars entering Tanzania through strategic investments benefit Tanzanians,” Mr Mapao said.
He said the conference would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share experiences from sectors that have made progress in promoting Tanzanian participation, with lessons expected to be applied in other areas of the economy.
“Some sectors, such as mining, have advanced further in promoting Tanzanian participation. They have developed policies, legal frameworks, institutional systems and implementation mechanisms that have produced results,” he said.
Mr Mapao said the lessons could be replicated in construction, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, livestock and other sectors.
He added that the conference would particularly target Tanzanians seeking information on employment opportunities and the chance to supply goods and services to strategic projects.
“Most importantly, however, we will have Tanzanians themselves as the beneficiaries and the most important stakeholders. They need to understand where employment opportunities exist in investment projects and what benefits are available to them,” he said.
The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) said the oil and gas sector is among those where Tanzanian participation needs to increase as exploration and development activities expand.
PURA Director General Charles Sangweni said empowerment should not be viewed solely as financial assistance, but also as helping local businesses acquire the skills, capacity and standards required to compete for contracts.
“Empowerment does not necessarily mean financial support. Financial empowerment is only one aspect. More importantly, it is about showing people the path and helping them reach the standards required to participate effectively,” Mr Sangweni said.
He said the expansion of oil and gas activities would create opportunities across a wide range of businesses, including construction, transport, catering and other services.
“We should not simply sit back and wait for jobs. We must understand what we need to do as Tanzanians to reach the standards required by these projects,” he said.
Mr Sangweni said PURA had identified areas where local businesses needed greater capacity to enable them to participate effectively alongside international investors.
He said the authority was working to create an environment in which Tanzanian companies could compete with international firms and secure contracts in the petroleum industry.
According to Mr Sangweni, Tanzania has made progress in developing indigenous companies capable of undertaking work previously dominated by foreign firms.
He cited Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and other Tanzanian companies as examples of institutions that had developed their capacity to undertake activities in the sector.
He said local companies were increasingly participating in areas such as gas infrastructure, construction, equipment supply and other services.
The government has also introduced policies, regulations and guidelines aimed at increasing local participation in the sector.
Mr Sangweni said the country was preparing for increased exploration and development activities, creating an urgent need for Tanzanian businesses to position themselves to benefit.
“We believe we will be involved in much more exploration activity than we have experienced in the past. This will involve developing many projects, and we will need Tanzanian suppliers and service providers,” he said.
The conference, scheduled for September 2-3, will provide a platform for sharing information on opportunities available to Tanzanians.
