(3 minutes read)
A multi-stakeholder conference of Tanzania’s extractive industries held recently emphasised the need for the East African nation to accelerate its energy transition drive to fight climate change and ensure the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tanzania with its significant deposits of minerals that are considered to be critical to the clean energy transition.
A multi-stakeholder conference of Tanzania’s extractive industries held recently emphasised the need for the East African nation to accelerate its energy transition drive to fight climate change and ensure the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tanzania with its significant deposits of minerals that are considered to be critical to the clean energy transition. The conference brought together stakeholders to discuss critical issues facing Tanzania’s extractive sector, one of the sectors that contributes significantly to Tanzania’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But stakeholders want the sector to also contribute to the world’s efforts to combat the effects of climate change.
The critical minerals found in Tanzania are crucial in contributing to a just energy transition and addressing global challenges, including climate change, stated Adam Anthony, ED HakiRasilimali. The link that exists between the mineral and energy sectors, applauds Tanzania’s policy stance on the just energy transition while urging the government to create a more conducive environment for investment, expanding opportunities and capital for locals to invest in the sectors, and improving transparency and accountability in the sectors.
These include nickel deposits discovered in the Kagera region, to an estimation of over 1.52 million tons. Over 18 million tons of graphite reserves are present, mostly in Lindi, Morogoro, and Tanga, which is said to be the 5th largest graphite reserve in the world. Tanzania is also estimated to have about 138 billion cubic feet of helium at its Lake Rukwa Basin, which is said to be the second-largest helium deposit in the world. The country is also reported to have about twenty other deposits of critical mineral deposits in Tanzania, such as copper, lithium, et cetera.
These critical minerals will play an important role in the transition towards renewable and green energy, including in the production of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) plants, Wind Farms, Nuclear Power, and Electric Vehicles (EVs), which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus puts the world in a better place to fight effects of climate change.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/usd-59-6-million-from-dbsa-for-tanzanian-mahenge-graphite-project/
https://trendsnafrica.com/e146-million-afd-and-eu-funding-for-tanzanian-kakono-hydropower-plant/
Tanzania understands this potential, Deputy Energy Minister Judith Kapinga stated that the government is “excited” about the country’s critical role in the global transition towards green energy technology. But to realise these opportunities, Tanzania will need to take a deeper look at its policy and legal frameworks to ensure proper governance of the sector and a clear identification of its position through a well-tailored strategy on critical minerals.
Afshin Nazir, a Kenyan-based lawyer who serves as an advocacy officer at the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), expressed her frustration at how African countries, including Tanzania, fail to take advantage of their vast critical mineral resources.
