TANZANIAN EXPERIENCE

Case 1. The Songosongo Gas Pipeline Project

This multi-million dollar project in southern Tanzania is designed to extract natural gas from the Songosongo area and transport it 345 kilometers, via pipeline, to Dar es Salaam, to be converted to electricity. The public, including the local citizens of the Songosongo area, were not involved in the project development and not formally informed of the government's decision to undertake the initiative. The large majority of inhabitants of the southern region first learned of the project when surveying began.

The local people have several concerns. One, the local population will not benefit from the use of this resource, as electricity from natural gas in the Songosongo area will be consumed in Dar es Salaam while the southern region will continue without sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the majority of residents. Two, local communities are concerned that living near the source of natural gas and along the pipeline will subject them to environmental hazards with health implications. Three, the people are concerned that the project will lead to massive displacement of local populations as residents have not received word of what, if any, compensation they will receive.

Following unsuccessful efforts to negotiate with the government and to shape the project, the Southern Region Development Authority (SRDA), a local NGO, initiated legal proceedings on behalf of the inhabitants of the southern regions (Mannoro, 1998). A suit was filed against the government of Tanzania, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, and two foreign companies carrying out the project, TransCanada Pipelines and Ocelot Tanzania Inc (High Court of Tanzania, 1997). The issues, however, were never heard in court -- the judge ruled that, as the plaintiff, SRDA has no locus-standi or legal authority to bring action. The case was dismissed on a technicality, not on its merits. SRDA is appealing and has filed an application to set aside the ruling. The appeal is still pending (Mannoro, 1998).