Communities demand greater voice, access to justice in extractive sector

Dar es Salaam. Communities living in Tanzania’s extractive areas have called for greater access to information, meaningful participation in decision-making and stronger mechanisms for seeking justice when rights are affected by mining activities.

The call was made in Dar es Salaam over the weekend during a dialogue themed: “Community rights and natural resources governance: Strengthening access to justice in Tanzania.

HakiRasilimali organised the forum, which was attended by government officials, extractive-sector stakeholders, community representatives, and civil society organisations.

Speaking during the event, a stakeholder from Mahenge in Ulanga District, Mr Manfred Mkopa, said communities in mining areas continued to face challenges related to compensation and protection of their rights.

“Since 2014, Ipanko has been undergoing assessments, but payments to residents have not reached them as expected. When people raise questions, they are sometimes intimidated,” he said.

Ipanko, also spelled Epanko, is a prominent valley and mining locality in the Mahenge Mountains of Ulanga District, Morogoro Region.

Mr Mkopa also questioned how effective local leaders are at protecting communities when disputes arise between residents and mining companies.

Lindi (Region) Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO) director, Mr Michael Mwangwa, said lack of information remained one of the biggest challenges facing communities, particularly in Ruangwa.

“Many decisions are made at the ministry level while people living near mining areas have no information. Eventually, they are presented with laws and procedures in which they were not involved,” he said.

He called for greater transparency, saying communities should understand both the benefits and potential impacts of projects taking place in their areas.

Ruangwa district land officer, Mr Peter Nada, said the government was working to ensure investments complied with existing laws, but acknowledged that land disputes remained a challenge.

He cited disputes over village boundaries and the informal buying and selling of unsurveyed land as some of the issues requiring continued attention.

The Principal Investigator, Business and Human Rights focal person, Ms Jovina Mchunguzi, said effective justice in the extractive sector required stronger coordination between communities, government institutions and investors.

“Almost all challenges in the extractive sector do not fall under one system. That is why we insist on systems working together,” she said.

She added that many citizens were still unaware of where to begin when seeking remedies for rights violations.

The dialogue comes as Tanzania continues to push for a more inclusive and sustainable extractive sector.

HakiRasilimali has previously highlighted access to remedies, land rights, community participation and responsible business conduct as key issues in natural-resource governance.