The Board of Directors of the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) recently visited Songo Songo Island in Lindi Region to assess the natural gas production and processing infrastructure, as well as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects being implemented by the gas exploration and production companies operating in the area.
During the visit, board members, including Chairman Mr. Halfani Halfani, toured the gas production facilities managed by PanAfrican Energy Tanzania Ltd (PAET) and the gas processing plants operated by GASCO, a subsidiary of the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).
Mr. Halfani noted the noticeable progress in CS
R efforts by TPDC and PAET compared to the past. He praised the government’s strong focus on CSR through effective monitoring and guidelines set out in the Petroleum Act of 2015.
"I was one of the people who visited Songo Songo in the past. We are pleased to see that they have built a primary school, a secondary school, a girls’ dormitory, an early childhood education center, and today, we saw a large health center. They have also been paying tuition fees for female students attending school in Kilwa. It is heartening to see that, 20 years later, students from Songo Songo now have access to all these educational facilities, which are some of the benefits brought by the natural gas project here," Mr. Halfani said.
PURA’s Director-General, Engineer Charles Sangweni, explained that the visit was aimed at enhancing the board members' understanding of the ongoing activities, enabling them to make better-informed decisions.
"As PURA, one of our responsibilities is to oversee oil and gas exploration and production activities in the country. To build understanding among our staff and board members, we regularly organize such visits. This one is important because it allows the board members to see firsthand the activities they regularly discuss and make decisions and recommendations about," said Engineer Sangweni.
Engineer Hamdun Mansur, a PURA board member, also shared his thoughts, saying that the visit provided valuable insights into natural gas processing and urged PURA to continue effectively managing its responsibilities.
This visit highlights PURA's ongoing commitment to ensuring the responsible management of Tanzania’s petroleum resources while promoting positive community impact through CSR initiatives.