DAR ES SALAAM: EDITORS who work with mainstream print and electronic media have welcomed the pledge of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) for cooperation to inform the public about developments in the crude oil project.
The editors made their response over the weekend in Dar es Salaam during the familiarisation seminar held in Dar es Salaam.
They expressed hopes that there will be regular flow of information to the public from the major project. The crude oil pipeline from Hoima District in Uganda will pass through eight regions in Tanzania to Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga Port.
Mr Mgaya Kingoba, editor for HabariLeo newspaper said: “I think the seminar has been useful. It is a good start for cooperation between the media and EACOP in dissemination of information to the public. During the seminar we were taken through various benefits that people alongside the pipeline will get.”
He said the project has socio-economic benefits to Tanzanians and Ugandans, explaining that the project will spur money circulation in the two countries as thousands of people will get direct and indirect employment.
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Another participant, Mr Nevile Meena, an editor of Brains Media, said the seminar was an eye opener, explaining that huge preparatory work on the project has been done.
Mr Meena, who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF), stated; “They have done a good work, I would say. We have been empowered in order to give right information to the people at different stages of project implementation.”
Commenting, Mr Khamis Mkotya (Channel Ten) said he was disappointed when he reading or hearing negative and misleading information on EACOP.
He acknowledged that the seminar helped him get useful and detailed information on project implementation.
“Chemba is my home district. I know people have been accurately and justly compensated including my own relatives. The seminar has been a useful for capacity building. We shall be in a good position to report accurately about the project,” he said.
On his part, Mr Hafidh Kido from Taifa Tanzania newspaper also echoed that the seminar helped participants understand better about the project. Tanzania and Uganda governments should be congratulated on what they have done far,’ he said.
EACOP Head of Communication (Tanzania), Ms Catherine Mbatia, pledged to give media houses a full cooperation, saying EACOP considers media houses to be very important stakeholders.
