Strong negotiating hand on oil, gas features Dar journalists’ training

Strong negotiating hand on oil, gas 

features Dar journalists' training

 

By BERNARD LUGONGO

STRONG negotiating hand is one of the key issues featured the ongoing regional media training on the extractive industry as Tanzania reportedly started negotiations on offshore gas extraction.

The workshop, brought together 24 journalists from Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania, has on Wednesday raised the concern over whether the country has legislations and policies that would enable it to make "a good deal" on the offshore natural gas.

When made presentation on fiscal instruments in extractive sectors,

An economic analyst; revenue management from Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), Thomas Scurfield, sounded the

importance of the government's having powerful hand in negotiation to get the desirable benefits.

It has been agreed that the journalists need to find out from the

Tanzanian government on what strategies have been put in place to ensure that such natural resource in waters benefits the country.

Major gas discoveries have been made offshore Tanzania and the country emerges as a potentially large gas producer in East Africa.

Statoil together with partner ExxonMobil had discovered 21Tcf of gas.

If sanctioned, an LNG development could offer significant long-term

benefits to Tanzania mainly through domestic gas, government revenues, employment and local content.

East Africa has been a focus for exploration since substantial

deposits of crude were found in Uganda in 2006.London-listed Tullow oil expected to start production there in 2012.