Transparency and Accountability in the Petroleum Sector: The Influence of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives in Mainland Tanzania

Abstract

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) have a significant influence on the management of resources within the extractive sector, particularly oil and gas. The resources have the potential to make a substantial contribution to the improvement of the country's economy. Nevertheless, this is something that may be accomplished if the industry is managed well, with the goal of ensuring, among other things, that accountability and transparency are strengthened. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the legislative framework that Tanzania has in place for petroleum in order to determine the degree to which the framework in question enhances transparency and accountability. To accomplish this, interviews were conducted with key personnel and different literature was reviewed. The findings demonstrate that Tanzania has made progress in the governance of the industry, which is in line with EITI values. However, there are still certain issues that need to be addressed, particularly with respect to the restricted information sharing with the public and the legal force of Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TEITI) reports. Lastly, the paper argues that there should be unlimited availability of information about the field as needed by EITI, as well as a shift in the voluntary nature of compliance with TEITI/EITI reports. Both of these things are necessary.