DODOMA: MINING stakeholders have appealed to the government to review the Mining (Corporate Social Responsibility) Regulation 2023, saying its application in some mining areas is inappropriate.
They made the appeal during the mining licenses operators and stakeholders meeting occasioned by the Deputy Minister for Minerals, Dr Stephen Kiruswa.
The regulations which they call for review involve holders of mining licences, who can be individuals or entities holding rights to exploration or mining, thus encompassing prospectors, gemstone prospecting, mining, processing, smelting and refining.
The regulations affirm that those holding rights to minerals are required to set out an effective corporate social responsibility plan for improving the community environment in which they operate.
Dr Kiruswa said according to the regulations, any envisaged plan must be jointly agreed with the relevant local government authorities in the area, such that projects proposed in the plans can be deliberated upon by ward development committees in a joint meeting with the mining sector entity.
He said the proposals are similarly required to be submitted to the relevant district, town, municipality, or city council for extensive review by October, three months into the start of a new financial year.
At the stakeholders meeting involving members of the relevant parliamentary committee, district council chairpersons and district commissioners, the deputy minister said the meeting was intended to get views on how to improve the regulations.
He said that the government formulated the regulations to provide guidelines on the sums involved or feasible projects by mining companies to communities as social responsibility.
“The intention is to facilitate cooperation between the communities and the companies in respective mining areas, but the implementation has raised complaints and disagreements between mining firms and district councils,” he said.
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The deputy minister promised to convene a stakeholder meeting to get usable opinions on how to improve the regulatory setting.
The Federation of Miners’ Associations in Tanzania (FEMATA) suggested that the mining firms must be allowed to directly implement corporate social responsibility projects instead of merely giving money to district councils.
John Bina, the president of the Federation said there are disagreements on the need to have local government authorities be handed 60 per cent of the CSR funds and the community where mining takes place obtain 40 per cent of the funds.
FEMATA wants the nearby community to be provided with 60 per cent and the LGAs get 40 per cent cut as district councils have other sources of income.
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