Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday withdrew the amendment of two natural resources laws after a Parliament committee flagged concerns over the proposed changes.
In June, the government tabled the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill number two of 2023, proposing the amendment of five laws, including the two natural resource acts.
The Natural Wealth and Resources (Permanent Sovereignty) Act of 2017 and the Natural Wealth Resources (Review and Re-negotiation of Unconscionable Terms) Act of 2017 were to be amended to block their application in agreements related to transportation of natural resources that are not exploited in Tanzania.
The amendment also proposed to abolish the application of the two laws in agreements that provide for development, operations, or arrangements for the development of natural wealth and resources with a view to improving the performance of sea, dry, and lake ports in Tanzania, and such an agreement has been approved by the cabinet.
However, the Parliament’s Governance, Constitution, and Legal Affairs Committee last week suspended discussion on the amendment of the two natural resource-related laws as it sought government clarifications.
The Attorney General, Dr Eliezer Feleshi, told the House yesterday that the government agreed with the committee to recall the two sections.
“The government discussed with the House committee and agreed with its advice to remove the two sections that contain the amendment of the two laws,” said Dr Feleshi, who presented the bill yesterday.
“The bill has already been amended, and the two sections have been removed,” he added, as Members of Parliament applauded.
The two laws were cited in a recent case in which four people filed a case against the ratification of the Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) between Tanzania and the UAE on the development and operation of ports and other economic infrastructure.
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