The World Bank has issued a deadline for Tanzania to address the complaints of civil rights abuses concerning the $150 million natural resources the global lender is funding. Based on a motion filed by two unnamed Tanzanian citizens, the World Bank's board on November 15th authorized the investigation into the Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (Regrow) Project in Southern Tanzania.
- The World Bank demands that Tanzania address civil rights abuses in the $150M Regrow Project.
- The Deadline set for resolution is December 27, 2023.
- Tanzania's Finance minister confirms intention to engage in dispute resolution.
The World Bank gave Tanzania till 27 December 2023, approximately 30 working business days to "accept an option for dispute resolution with the complainants offered by the Bank via its Accountability Mechanism department before going further," as seen in the East African news publication, The East African.
The report by the publication noted that this was a case with utmost importance, and the stakeholders involved are treating it as such.
What Tanzania had to say
Tanzania's finance minister, Mwigulu Nchemba, buttressed this point during the World Bank's International Development Association mid-term review meeting in the island nation of Zanzibar.
The finance minister stated; "We have already notified the Bank of our intention to take up the dispute resolution option and we are in the process of putting together a team to meet with the complaining parties and work things out."
The project was initiated to help Tanzania establish four national parks in Tanzania's southern region, via the funding of upgrades to infrastructure and management systems while fostering alternative livelihoods for the locals.
Conversations surrounding the viability of the project and risk assessment picked up steam during the World Bank's visit to Tanzania from August 21 to September 2, 2023, where the bank's delegates spoke with the stakeholders in the East African country.
"The panel notes that if resettlement is triggered in the project area within the life of the project, the requesters retain their right to submit a new request for inspection if they believe they are experiencing or likely to experience harm due to non-compliance with Bank policies," the bank relayed via its official case filing document.
Source of the article: Business Insider Africa
