Date of Award
12-20-2024
Date Published
January 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
African American Studies
Advisor(s)
Horace Campbell
Keywords
Corporation;Energy;Historical Materialism;Natural Resource;Self-Reliance;Sustainability
Subject Categories
African American Studies | Arts and Humanities | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Abstract
Tanzania possesses significant natural gas reserves, currently estimated at 57.54 trillion cubic feet, with the potential for further discoveries. This thesis examines the socio-economic impacts of Tanzania’s substantial natural gas reserves, focusing specifically on the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and its engagement with the local communities in Mtwara and Lindi. TPDC is the national oil company and owner of all licenses for energy development in the country, wholly owned by the government of Tanzania with all its shares held by the Treasury Registrar. Through comprehensive literature review and field visits to production sites, the study examines TPDC’s management of natural gas reserves and technical expertise. A notable project under TPDC’s management is the Madimba Gas Processing Plant in Mtwara, along with key distribution infrastructures. Utilizing a historical materialism framework in the contexts of class relations, this study analyzes the condition of the gas sector with specific conditions in Mtwara and Lindi, exploring the impacts of natural gas production on local populations, and broader socio-economic sustainability in Tanzania. This research highlights both opportunities and challenges faced by TPDC in achieving economic independence and sustainability. It discusses prospects for attaining the expected goals. The thesis argues that TPDC has the expertise and human resources to manage and produce natural gas. However, its operations and outcomes are mixed, resulting from contemporary class structures, which challenge and advance resource nationalism; calling for a more strategic approach to ensure that the benefits of natural gas resource exploitation contribute more effectively to all communities and peoples’ sustainability. The widening gap between the ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ classes reflects the effects of neoliberal policies that empower the affluent top to exploit resources while sidelining others into underprivilege. This disparity is further reinforced by the state and government actions that protect the interests of the wealthy-capital class under the pretext of supporting investors and developing partners’ good environment. These systematic inequalities should be addressed so that gas materiality contributes to genuine environmental sustainability and fosters equity in society; such that the material condition of the majority is improved for true transformation.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
TUMBU, LADISLAUS NORBETH, "Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and Its Role in Self-Reliance and Sustainability" (2024). Theses - ALL. 904.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/904
