BY TYABA SSETTUMBA ABUBAKAR
African governments have been challenged to ensure the implementation of a local content regime in their extractives sectors.
The call was made Thursday by the Former Acting Director for Local Content in Investments, National Economic Empowerment Council, Tanzania Prime Minister's officer, Neema Lugangira who believes countries can only benefit from the finite resources if all locals are engaged in the production cycle.
"Local participation in the oil and gas activities in Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania is significantly low. Most goods and services in the sector are imported", she said.
Ms Lugangira is concerned that most governments give in to the whims of the large companies exploiting their resources especially oil – leaving their people wallowing in poverty.
"10% of Tanzania's gas is dedicated to the local market by law whether the gas is to be used or not. Every government should dedicate certain percentages of their natural resources to the local market" she added.
The problem- according to her starts with African governments copying and pasting policies from elsewhere without paying particular attention to the demands of their people.
"Some issues are specific to individual countries", she said.
Ms Lugangira was meeting journalists undertaking a two weeks training on covering oil, gas and mining conducted by the Natural Resources Governance Institute in Dar El Salam.
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