Tanzania, Algeria regulators keen to boost petroleum sub-sector
ALGIERS, ALGERIA: The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) of Tanzania and Algeria’s Hydrocarbon Regulatory Authority (ARH) held talks on establishing cooperation that will enable the exchange of experience in regulating technical aspects of oil and gas operations.
The discussions took place on September 9, 2025, at ARH offices in Algiers, Algeria, and were attended by senior leaders and officials from the two institutions, including Mr Shigela Malosha, representing the Director General of PURA, and Mr Samir Houghlaouene, acting President of ARH.
The two sides’ talks centre on key areas targeted for experience sharing between PURA and ARH include the inspection of equipment and facilities used in oil and gas projects, and the preparation of regulations governing oil and gas activities.
Speaking during the discussions, Mr Shigela explained that exchanging experience between the two institutions is important and will enable PURA and ARH to learn the best ways to manage technical issues, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.
“Since both PURA and ARH regulate technical aspects of oil and gas projects implemented by companies in our countries, it is clear that exchanging experience on how we carry out this mandate will improve efficiency and productivity in the sector,” Mr Shigela said.
For his part, Acting President of ARH, Mr Samir, stated that the exchange of experience between PURA and ARH is crucial for the development of the oil and gas sector in Tanzania and Algeria, as sound management of technical activities is one of the key responsibilities in implementing oil and gas projects.
“As regulators, sharing experience in managing technical matters is fundamental and will help us learn and put into practice the good initiatives our authorities are implementing in this area. By doing so, oil and gas projects being undertaken will be sustainable,” Mr Samir added.
The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA), is the regulatory authority established under Section 11 of the Petroleum Act, 2015 (Act No. 21 of 2015) with the mandate to regulate and monitor petroleum upstream operations and LNG activities in the Mainland Tanzania and providing advisory services to the Government and the Minister responsible for petroleum affairs.
The mandate is underpinned in several Policy and legal instruments including: the National Energy Policy, 2015; the Petroleum Act, 2015; the Oil and Gas Revenue Management Act, 2015 and the Tanzania Extractive Industries (Transparency and Accountability) Act, 2015.
The Oil and Gas Revenue Management Act of 2015 requires PURA to carry out or cause to be carried out costs and revenues audit of the petroleum operations.
The Extractive Industry (Transparence and Accountability) Act, 2015 also requires PURA to observe transparency and accountability in its undertakings. PURA mandates is further derived from the National Energy Policy, 2015 which gives guidance on establishment of upstream regulator to effectively and efficiently manage petroleum upstream operations.
