The Tanzania Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition

The Tanzania Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (TOGaCE) is an annual convention that brings together stakeholders involved in the country’s oil and gas sector. The idea of the conference was conceived in 2012 after huge amounts of natural gas had been discovered in the country. The main objectives of the exhibition are raising awareness on the potential of oil and gas in the development of Tanzania, benchmarking the local institutions, policy, legal and regulatory framework guiding the oil and gas sector, and availing a platform for more stakeholders to show interest in doing businesses in Tanzania. Additionally, the conference organisers provide space for companies and/or individuals to exhibit their products or services.

=1st Conference and Exhibition= The first TOGaCE was held in Dar es Salaam from 18th to 19th October 2012. It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM), the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), and the Institution of Engineers Tanzania (IET). The conference’s main objective was to raise awareness on the concepts of oil and gas amongst Tanzanian participants. It also highlighted the effectiveness of gas and oil in stimulating industrial and socio-economic development. The participants discussed the concepts that are adaptable to the context of Tanzania to speed up the growth of the oil and gas sector in the country.

The main five issues presented at the conference were:
 * Policy, legal and institutional framework related to the natural gas;
 * Technology issues related to exploration, reservoir evaluation, drilling, transportation, processing and applications of natural gas;
 * Capacity-building, including local content participation, infrastructure development, training, and research;
 * Issues of safety, environmental pollution, environmental equity, monitoring, and remediation; and
 * Awareness raising on the status of oil and gas industry, potentials and available opportunities.

The challenges for the Tanzania oil and gas sector, as defined by the conference participants, were numerous. They include the need to engage in oil and gas studies; to increase the number of local experts in oil and gas; to further develop the infrastructure; and the need to invest in sustainable energy. The participants agreed on adopting the Norwegian Model—touted as one one of the most effective in tapping resources for the broader interests of the nation—on establishing oil and gas funds and to find local rather than imported solutions to national challenges in the oil and gas sector. The outcome of the conference was a fully developed Action Plan.

=2nd Conference and Exhibition= The Second TOGaCE took place in Dar es Salaam from 23rd to 24th October 2013. It was also jointly organised and co-hosted by the Department of Chemical and Mining Engineering of the University of Dar es Salaam, the IET, and the United Republic of Tanzania through the MEM, TPDC and EWURA. The conference brought together interested individuals from the Government, the private sector including oil/gas companies and the academia to deliberate on matters relevant to the development of the oil and gas industry and covered policies and practices, upstream, mid-stream and downstream activities and related issues.

The following issues were discussed at the conference:


 * Business, taxation and finance
 * Developing and harnessing oil and gas potentials
 * Sustainable exploitation and utilisation of oil and gas
 * Capacity-building, and
 * Challenges and prospects of oil and gas industry

A great deal of the discussion centred on how Tanzanians and their interests could be integrated effectively in all levels of the value chain. A framework to ensure the facilitation of Tanzanian private sector to access the natural resources was suggested, especially in terms of knowledge transfer.

=3rd Conference and Exhibition= The Third TOGaCE took place in Dar es Salaam from 21st to 22nd October 2014. It was jointly organised by the same institutions. The conference was for the first time held in Kiswahili – the national language. This deliberate language choice was meant to also engage Tanzanians who do not understand English and, hence, make the deliberations more accessible to the ordinary Tanzanians. In continuation of the second conference, a Local Content Policy was pledged by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals, Stephen Masele, in a bid to ensure that Tanzanians are engaged in the entire value chain and benefit from the oil and gas sector.

=Mtwara Oil and Gas Business and Career Expo (MOGBE)= On November 14th and 15th 2014, the first Mtwara Oil and Gas Business and Career Expo was held. In addition to the TOGaCE, this forum seeks to serve as link between the value chain and the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry in Tanzania by empowering, providing career opportunities and building capacity among the local.

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