Tanzania taps into Norway to boost carbon trading

NORWAY: TANZANIA has embarked on a strategic mission to enhance its environmental resilience and accelerate sustainable development by learning from Norway’s expertise in climate change mitigation and carbon trading.

The initiative is being led by the Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment), Hamad Masauni, who is currently on a three-day official visit to Oslo.

The visit, organised by the Tanzanian Embassy in Norway following an official invitation, aims to deepen Tanzania’s understanding of advanced environmental management practices.

Upon his arrival in Oslo early this week, Minister Masauni was received by the Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania, Ms Tone Tinnes.

“The purpose of this visit is to gain insights into effective environmental strategies, including carbon trading mechanisms and modern urban waste separation technologies. These can be leveraged to generate products and raw materials such as fertilisers, water and electricity,” Eng Masauni said.

During his visit, the minister is scheduled to meet with several high-ranking Norwegian officials, including the Minister for Climate and Environment, Mr Andreas Bjelland Eriksen and the Minister for International Development, Mr Åsmund Grøver Aukrust.

He will also hold discussions with the Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Mr Bård Vegar Solhjell and the Acting Director General for Sustainable Development at Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meetings will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in environmental protection, climate change adaptation and carbon market development for the mutual benefit of both nations.

To gain firsthand experience, Eng Masauni will tour key locations known for innovative environmental practices, including the Municipality of Oslo, Hafslund Celsio (a major district energy company) and Equinor, a global energy firm.

The minister is accompanied by a delegation comprising representatives from the Tanzanian Embassy in Sweden, an expert from the National Carbon Monitoring Centre (NCMC) and specialists from the Vice-President’s Office.

Tanzania and Norway have a longstanding partnership in tackling environmental challenges, with a growing focus on carbon trading and sustainable development.

Tanzania aims to generate over 2tri/- annually through carbon market initiatives and Norway has committed to supporting this ambition.

Norway recently renewed its climate partnership with Tanzania and pledged to double its climate funding by 2026, including tripling support for climate adaptation initiatives.

This support covers a range of activities, from promoting renewable energy and sustainable resource management to enhancing carbon monitoring systems and supporting Tanzania’s participation in international carbon markets.

Through this collaboration, Norway also backs Tanzania’s transition to a low-carbon economy, helping analyse the cost-benefit dynamics of clean energy transitions using advanced modelling and simulations.

In addition, Norway continues to support Tanzania’s implementation of the REDD+ programme, which promotes sustainable forest management as a vital component of climate change mitigation.