By Osoro Nyawangah, MWANZA
Tanzania
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors, on Wednesday November 15 approved a recommendation from the Inspection Panel to investigate the Tanzania Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (REGROW) Project.
Courtesy - IP |
The recommendation came in
response to a request for inspection that was submitted on June 20, 2023, by
two individuals from Tanzania. These individuals requested to remain
confidential and also requested the Oakland Institute to be their advisor in
the Panel process.
The project triggered the
following safeguard of Environmental Assessment, Natural Habitats, Forests,
Pest Management, Physical Cultural Resources, and Involuntary Resettlement
policies.
The requesters allege that the
World Bank financed REGROW project in Tanzania did not follow several World
Bank policies and procedures including policies on involuntary resettlement and
indigenous peoples.
They claim that communities in
five villages (with an approximate population of 21,000) adjacent to Ruaha
National Park were notified that they will be evicted.
According to the request, the
evictions will include an additional 47 sub-villages in 14 villages.
That the affected communities
have not been meaningfully consulted and project documentation has not been
disclosed to them.
“We face violence, actual and
threats of retaliation, which has created a sense of constant fear among
affected community members.” They allege adding that over the past two years
their cattle have been seized in large numbers to the detriment of pastoral
livelihoods.
They further allege that the
seizure of cattle has impacted several Indigenous Peoples groups, including
Maasai, Sukuma and Datoga pastoralists, who inhabit the project area.
“World Bank failed to trigger
its policy on Indigenous Peoples, causing irreparable harm to the identity,
culture, and rights of the indigenous communities in the project area.”
The project was approved by
the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on September 28, 2017, for an
amount of US$ 150 million International Development Association (IDA) credit.
It was originally scheduled to
close on September 28, 2023, and was restructured and extended to February 28,
2025, its current closing date.
When the request was received, the disbursement was 63.14 percent – an amount of US$ 90.72 million.
The Panel registered the request
on July 20, 2023, and as required under Panel process, management submitted its
response to the request on August 13, 2023.
A Panel team visited Tanzania
from August 21 to September 2, 2023, to assess the eligibility of the request.
The Panel submitted its report
and recommendation to the Board on September 19, 2023, in which it
recommended carrying out an investigation into the Bank’s review and due
diligence of the capacity and processes of one of the project’s lead
implementing agencies, Tanzania National Parks, and whether risks to
communities were identified in project documents and appropriate mitigation
measures put in place, and the Bank’s supervision of Tanzania National Parks.
The investigation will review
the related, possible non-compliance with the applicable World Bank policies,
focusing on the Bank’s policy on Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) and the
Bank’s Investment Project Financing Policy.
The investigation pertains to
the Bank’s actions and omissions and would not consider other parties mentioned
in the request for inspection.
In this regard, the Panel
during the course of its investigation will review and research Bank project
documents and files, among others, and interview individual Bank staff involved
with the project, both past and present. The Panel will inquire whether any
review or guidance by Bank Management was consistent with Bank Policies.
Under the Inspection Panel resolution and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism (AM) resolution, after Board approval of the Panel’s investigation recommendation, the AM Secretary offers the complainants and the borrower the option of dispute resolution.
The AM Secretary will inform
the Board, the Panel and Bank Management within 30 business days whether the
parties have voluntarily agreed to pursue dispute resolution.
The Project covers four large,
unique areas in Tanzania: Ruaha National Park, the Nyerere National Park (former
Selous Game Reserve), Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa National Park. Combined,
these four National Parks equal an area larger than Switzerland.
The lead Project implementing agencies are the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) and the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) of the Government of Tanzania, with support from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), the Tanzania Forest Service (TFS), the National Irrigation Commission (NIRC), and the Rufiji Basin Water Board (RBWB).
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