NEMC upgrades to full authority in pipeline
DAR ES SALAAM: THE National Environment Management Council (NEMC) will be upgraded into a full authority to strengthen environmental governance, the august House heard yesterday.
Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Reuben Kwagilwa, said the proposal is part of broader institutional reforms and has already been included in the Office’s budget speech presented on Tuesday.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Shaurimoyo MP (CCM), Mattar Ali Salum, who sought to know when NEMC will attain full authority status. Mr Kwagilwa said the government plans to table a bill during the upcoming Government Bills Session to seek Parliament’s approval for the transition.
“Upgrading NEMC into a full authority is among the key strategies of the Office,” he said.
Responding to a basic question on whether the Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority should be placed under NEMC to strengthen oversight of environmental projects in Zanzibar, the deputy minister said such a move is unnecessary.
He said that cooperation between the two sides of the Union is already effective, with both institutions working towards formalising a framework to enhance environmental management across the United Republic of Tanzania.
According to him, the collaboration has enabled NEMC and ZEMA to jointly oversee development projects, mobilise resources for environmental conservation and exchange technical expertise.
He added that both governments have already drafted an agreement outlining areas of cooperation, which is currently under review ahead of formal signing.
Mr Kwagilwa further said that the United Republic of Tanzania and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, through the Environmental Management Act (Cap.191) and the Zanzibar Environmental Management Act of 2015, established two independent bodies to oversee environmental conservation.
“These are NEMC for Mainland Tanzania and ZEMA for Zanzibar, each mandated to regulate and manage environmental matters within their respective jurisdictions,” he said.
