SECONDER’S SPEECH

Mr   President, I rise to second the Report of the Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources to the 41^st Plenary Assembly Session.

Mr President, we Parliamentarians, as legislators and representatives of our people, are responsible for ensuring that the regulatory frameworks and agreements with mining companies regarding extractive industries contribute to sustainable social and economic development and thus benefit the citizens of this region. Our role has become increasingly relevant in the wake of increased investment in mining by private investors from emerging economic giants such as China, whose interests may be making profit at the expense of the Region’s economy and the welfare of our people.

Sustainable development cannot be guaranteed unless we exercise due oversight over those who award mining rights on our behalf. Moreover, effective oversight requires that Parliaments and parliamentarians engage with the process of mining activity from the inception stage. It is at this inception stage that the benefit to the country and the affected communities, the rights of workers, and issues regarding the management of the environment, among others, are determined and agreed upon.

Mr President, just recently, at the end of June this year, the government of Tanzania submitted 3 bills to Parliament, which have since been passed, that will enable the review and renegotiation of mining contracts awarded to private investors in an effort to ensure that the interests of the people of Tanzania are secured. In the interest of ensuring the fast tracking of these bills, the Parliamentary Session was actually extended for several days to allow MPs to study the bills and approve them. Tanzania has set the stage for the rest of the Region to begin to seriously consider the review of its mining legislation for the benefit of the citizens.

Mr President, the Model Laws that the SADC Parliamentary Forum has so far developed have been well received. It is encouraging to note that these Model Laws are providing the much needed capacity that we Parliamentarians require to interrogate issues from a point of knowledge and begin to make a notable difference in the way the affairs of our countries are being run in many areas, including mining. The guiding provisions contained in these Model Laws are meant to open our eyes and enhance our contribution and effectiveness at national level. It is for this reason, Mr President, that I second the Report of the Committee, which is highlighting the proposed provisions for the Model Law on Private Sector Participation in Mining.

Mr President, in addition, I wish to join the clarion call encouraging the tabling of more motions regarding food, agriculture, and natural resources in the region, for out of this may come the answer to eradicating poverty in the region.

Mr President, I beg to Second.