Tanzania: Policy dialogue with Same district officials, CSOs and media

Transition to clean in energy in Tanzania takes its course from National policies, strategies and plans, trickling down to energy regulatory authorities and national utility company. As the country strives to achieve the Sustainable energy for all through implementation of national development plans, the national power master plan (2016) and the national energy policy (2015) the recently released study on the transition to clean energy is urging the government to boost clean energy and pursue policies that would help secure a green and socially just transition.

Furthermore, the transition should include public dialogues and debates that can help in addressing several structural barriers holding back the development of a sustainable power sector in Tanzania.

In a dialogue between District Officers (Dos), CSOs and media held recently in Same District, Northern Tanzania, stakeholders argued that the Government, the private sector, and development partners can jointly address these barriers and enable a clean energy transition towards 2050 as a fundamental milestone on the Green growth initiatives in the country.

However, key issue that were emphasized was the minimal contribution of renewable energy sources in the current energy mix which is only 0.5%. Today, only about 0.5% of the country’s power comes from renewable sources, a figure the government plans to increase to 12.43 % over the next two decades (by 2044) (National Power System Master Plan -PSMP, 2updates 2020). But according to the discussion during the dialogue, the ambition seems unrealistic if the plans will continue lacking the comprehensive approach needed to achieve that goal especially the limited involvement of the rural communities, meager resources allocation, limited knowledge and a slow pace in catching up the technological advancement in the clean energy sector. Click here to download the brief