Developing a socially inclusive and sustainable natural gas sector in Tanzania

Tanzania is experiencing a boom in natural gas. Tanzania's natural gas reserves are estimated at 57 trillion cubic feet and the emergence of gas revenues are expected to be a strong economic growth factor for the country. To be sustainable, this economic growth should be inclusive and should result from balanced investments between technical, human, environmental, and social capital. We investigate household perceptions of Tanzania's nascent natural gas industry and operations. We implemented field surveys in the Mtwara and Lindi regions, regions that will be most directly impacted by the natural gas exploration and extraction owing to their proximity to the discovery sites. 783 respondents were interviewed for the quantitative survey and 20 for the qualitative one. We provide an overview of their awareness, and knowledge of local natural gas activities, and explore their perceptions from the economic, environmental, social, and governance perspectives. Finally, we draw on our findings and offer recommendations for implementing socially inclusive and sustainable policies in the gas sector in Tanzania, in line with the principles of sustainable development, licence to operate, corporate social responsibility and community engagement.