JICA promotes natural gas utilisation development in Tanzania

JAPAN International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Tanzania through the Ministry of Energy have signed the Record of Discussions (R/D) for technical cooperation on the effective utilisation of natural gas.

The agreement to implement the Project titled “The Project for Capacity Development of Natural Gas Utilisation in Tanzania was signed on Tuesday between the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Eng Felchesmi Mramba and Chief Representative of JICA Mr Ara Hitoshi.

JICA has been supporting the government for over 60 years since the 1960s in accordance with the vision of “Leading the world with trust”. Cooperation in the energy sector in Tanzania has lasted over 40 years.

Before the signing, JICA dispatched a detailed planning survey mission to Tanzania from February 23 to March 12 this year to formulate the Project.

The mission held a series of discussions with MOE, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) and other stakeholders to develop a detailed plan for the project.

The project is designed to promote effective utilisation of natural gas in Tanzania for economic growth in an environmentally friendly manner. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity for planning and implementation of the natural gas utilisation.

The duration of the project is 24 months tentatively from October 2023 to September 2025.

The project will promote the natural gas utilisation in Tanzania balancing the economic growth and environmental considerations by updating the National Gas Utilisation Master plan (NGUMP), developing the legal framework necessary for the use of gas and building capacity of MOE, TPDC and EWURA to properly implement and regurate the use of natural gas, thereby contributing to the country’s socio-economic development and growth.