Zanzibar begins public awareness drive ahead of 3D oil and gas seismic survey
Chief Executive Officer of the Zanzibar Petroleum Development Corporation (ZPDC), Mr Mikidad Ali Rashid, addresses residents while providing public education on the collection of oil and natural gas data at Paje Secondary School in South Unguja Region. Photo|Jesse Mikofu.
Unguja. The Zanzibar Revolutionary Government (SMZ) has launched a public awareness campaign in areas expected to be covered by a 3D seismic survey for oil and natural gas, urging residents to cooperate and remain calm once the exercise begins.
The data collection is expected to start in late May this year, during which specialised vehicles and equipment will be transported into the survey zone. Authorities have warned that loud vibrations and possible major explosions may occur during the process, but insisted there is no cause for panic.
The survey will cover a 66-square-kilometre area around Paje, Bwejuu, Mtule and Jozani in South District, South Unguja Region.
In January this year, SMZ, through the Zanzibar Petroleum Development Corporation (ZPDC), signed a one-year contract with Africa Geophysical Services (AGS), an Oman-based company, to carry out the 3D data collection exercise.
Speaking during a public awareness meeting held on April 18, 2026, at Paje Secondary School, the South District Commissioner, Othman Ali Maulid, said the project would improve efficiency and ensure the collection of accurate geological data.
“We must cooperate fully so that our Zanzibar can have reliable resources,” he said.
Mr Maulid said public support would help ensure the timely and accurate collection of crucial geological information, which could assist in identifying the presence of oil and gas reserves.
He noted that should oil be discovered, Zanzibaris would be the main beneficiaries of the resource.
He added that the success of the survey would ultimately improve people’s livelihoods, as increased oil and gas production would raise both national and individual income.
The district commissioner also urged residents to continue trusting the government, stressing that transparency and integrity were guiding the process.
“Today we have seen how the conflict in the Middle East has caused oil prices to rise sharply. If we had our own resources, things would be different,” he said.
South District Commissioner in South Unguja Region, Mr Othman Maulid, speaks to Paje residents while providing public education on oil and natural gas exploration and extraction activities at Paje Secondary School, Unguja. Photo|Jesse Mikofu.
Mr Maulid said the district administration had welcomed the project and asked residents who attended the session to act as ambassadors and educate others who had not yet received the information.
Meanwhile, ZPDC Managing Director, Mikidad Ali Rashid, said the awareness campaign was meant to inform citizens that the eighth-phase government had decided to intensify oil and gas exploration activities in Zanzibar.
Mr Rashid said previous studies had been conducted in collaboration with Rak Gas using 2D seismic data, and that the next step was to collect 3D data before moving to drilling.
“All these are steps towards continued oil exploration. We are now preparing to enter the 3D phase,” he said.
He explained that after laboratory processing of earlier 2D data, experts identified areas with high potential for oil and gas deposits, including the southern part of Unguja Island, particularly the Paje zone covering Bwejuu, Mtule and Jozani.
Mr Rashid said the exercise would involve clearing paths, which could affect residents’ crops, but assured that all affected individuals would be assessed and compensated accordingly.
He said the operation would begin in late May and would involve specialised vibration-generating vehicles, urging residents not to panic when they hear the tremors.
He added that the work would also involve equipment to be inserted into the ground to collect information, and asked parents and guardians to educate their children to avoid interfering with the devices.
On his part, the Director General of the Zanzibar Petroleum Regulatory Authority (ZPRA), Mohammed Salum Said, urged residents to cooperate, noting that the government had previously relied on investors but had now opted to undertake the process on its own.
Some residents welcomed the awareness initiative, saying it was better than being caught off guard by large projects taking place in their communities.
“We commend this step because sometimes big projects come without involving the people. That reduces cooperation. But in this case, we promise to provide all the support needed,” said Paje resident, Mjaka Haji Issa.
Another resident, Mustafa Fatawi Mussa, said the project was beneficial and pledged cooperation to ensure Zanzibar succeeds in securing oil and natural gas resources.
