Chart of the Week #1: Tanzanians’ views on natural resource management

Source: World Bank blog, using data from Twaweza’s Sauti za Wananchi initiative, rounds 9 and 11.

Around three quarters of the respondents have heard about the discoveries of natural gas, and yet every two out of three would wish to be provided with more information.
While 28 percent are aware that benefits from the large off-shore gas reserves will take time to materialize, 36 percent believe that gas companies are already earning money from these resources.
Most Tanzanians are optimistic about the prospects from natural gas with four out of five believing that the natural gas is good for them, their children and the country.
At the same time, 26 percent expect that government officials will benefit the most from this resource, and an additional 11 percent believe that the benefits will go predominantly to rich people.
The biggest risk Tanzanians see is the capture of rents by foreign companies, followed by crime/violence, and corruption of government officials.
61 percent of Tanzanians favor gas sales to foreign countries as long as the revenues are used for the country’s development. Twenty eight percent think that natural gas should be used for electricity generation solely for use within Tanzania.

And there’s a whole lot more in Jacques’ post, which I highly recommend for anyone with an interest in the subject.

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These findings are based on data collected by Sauti za Wananchi, Africa’s first nationally representative mobile phone survey fielded by Twaweza.

Full disclosure: I work for Twaweza.