The Cabinet Decision

On 30th November 1997, the Cabinet decided to approve implementation of the Rufiji Delta Prawn Farming Project as proposed by AFC. The decision was not made public. Nonetheless, aware that a number of diplomatic missions and international NGOs were supporting or implementing projects within the project area, the government wrote to assure those involved that their projects would "not be affected by implementation of the prawn farming project." In its letter, the government stated:

This was patently contradictory to what the Ministry had stated in its position paper for the Cabinet debate. As we have noted above, in the Cabinet the Ministry of Tourism had recommended that the project be implemented at Site No. 6 only; that it "...should not be implemented at Sites nos. 1 to 5"; and that the implementation of the project in Site no. 6 "should involve the investor and experts in mangrove conservation..." Sites 1 to 5 had been singled out precisely because they are mangrove areas and are protected by law. Recommendation that "experts in mangrove conservation" should be involved in the implementation of the project in site 6 (which is outside the protected area) also suggested that even in site 6 there were mangroves which were likely to be affected by the project. The Ministry's Cabinet position had also recommended that the hatchery for post larvae shrimp should be situated "outside the Mafia Island Marine Park". Bwejuu Island is part of the Marine Park and here again the Ministry went against its own words.