Majority of Civil Society Organizations working on the transition to clean energy and campaigns against fossil fuel in Tanzania want urgent collective action to tackle the low pace towards campaigns against fossil fuel in the country. The arguments were raised during a stakeholder’s dialogues on transition to clean energy and campaigns against fossil fuel in Tanzania, held on 8th June 2022 by the Forum on Climate Change (FORUMCC) who are also the Designated National Platform of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) as its response to the activities under GUARD Africa Project.
“Now we need our organizations to put coalition and energy working groups policies and advocacy agenda in place to deliver strong demands against fossil fuel in Tanzania in support of the transition to clean energy”, noted Mr. Abdallah Henku, when presenting his arguments in the discussion targeted to address the “working in isolation” spirit among CSOs working on energy in Tanzania, as well as measures to synergize efforts for one and strong CSOs submission to the policy and decision makers.
Efforts on campaigns against Fossil fuel and the transition to clean energy are already being harmed by disunity and working in isolation by the CSOs, and the situation seem to continue threatening current and likely to affect future climate actions in the energy sector, of which climate change professionals and advocates have been bringing attention to for years. He added.
It was also noted that other actors from CSOs working in the energy sector lack information about what is taking place on the ground, despite of different media reports on environment, climate change, clean and renewable energy sectors in particulars. “We are interested to collaborate and get united in recognising that only fundamental and equitable efforts in the clean energy campaigns can bring changes to societies we are working on behalf, but media outlets do not provide information that could trigger our quest to work in collaborations” insisted one of the CSOs representative working with a Gender Network for Clean energy in Tanzania.
Reflecting on the severity of working in isolation among Key CSO actors in the campaigns due to limited information from media and environment reporters, a senior and Director of Environmental Journalists Association in Tanzania Mr. John Chikomo added that the limited knowledge to some journalists reporting on clean energy in Tanzania is also contributing to this situation in such a way that no clear and informed reports sent to the public and actors showing different efforts calling for collective efforts at different levels of engagement in the clean energy sub-sector in Tanzania.
He added that the greatest threat to clean energy campaigns in Tanzania is the continued failure of CSOs leaders to keep working in isolation while aware that there are similar efforts which can mutually complement each other in these efforts towards clean energy and campaigns against fossil fuel in the country.
To consolidate the actions in redress to the raised challenges, CSOS attended the dialogue agreed to establish and participate in the “Clean energy Working Group” of which FORIMCC will lead its Secretariat. The dialogue brought together different CSOs and relevant associations and Networks working on renewable energy at National level including actors in the campaigns against foil fuel in Tanzania.
